Dual Fates
by Sailor Janus
Summary: Duo and Hotaru must make the ultimate sacrifice for their worlds and realize that history truly repeats itself.
1. Destruction's Fate

Dual Fates Part 1

Destruction's Destiny

by

Sailor Janus

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing characters are own by their respected owners.

::Takes place a few years after Sailor Stars (Hotaru is 19) and four years after Endless Wing (Duo and the other GW boys are 20):: 

Warning: This contains explicit graphic deaths, which involve the two main characters. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Hotaru stared at the water softly falling upon her closed window, smearing against the clear glass, as each drop joined another, uniting together. 

       For some reason, the girl found peace watching the droplets tumble out of the sky only to meet their end upon the smooth surface, which they soon escaped, plummeting to the soil and grass below.

       Shivering, she wrapped her thin arms around herself. "It's getting colder," Hotaru murmured as she turned her attention to the dimly lit room. 

       Hotaru had returned to the outer's mansion for winter vacation after having been away at college for most of the year. The nineteen-year-old woman knew she should be studying for her final exams, which she had yet to take for nursing, but felt more intrigued to watch the rain fall. 

       Normally she didn't procrastinate as far as her studies were concerned, but for some reason, felt the tests held no value to her. It was almost as if she knew she would not be able to take them. Hotaru wished she knew why she felt this way. 

       Quietly, the girl opened her window and reached her hand out to the falling droplets of rain, gently landing upon her pale skin. Tears oddly appeared in Hotaru's bright violet eyes. It wasn't as if she would never feel the touch of rain again, was it?

       Closing her eyes, the dark-haired girl tried clear away her strangely melancholy emotions, but they would not fade, persistently plaguing her eyes with salty tears which ran down her face.  

       "Why do I feel this way? It's almost as if I knew something horrible is about to happen, but I do not know what it is," Hotaru thought as she brought her arm back inside and shut the window. 

       The night sky was approaching fast. Smiling, the senshi of destruction and rebirth thought of the brilliant stars that always shone so brightly, filling the night sky with small specks of light. It was going to be a new moon so Hotaru knew the only source of light she'd see tonight, would be the stars themselves. She preferred it that way.   

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       It was past eleven and Hotaru knew she should retreat to bed. Glancing one last time, she turned away from the window and slowly walked to bed, snuggling under the covers. Soon the girl entered the world of dreams, only this time, the dream would be real.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       "Hotaru."_

_       Glancing around, the dark-haired girl realized that she was outside standing barefoot in the damp grass. She was wearing a long silk lavender dress with thin straps; the skirt barely grazed her feet. She shivered slightly as she heard her name called again, spinning around towards the source of the voice._

_       "Who are you? Do I know you?" Hotaru questioned a young man dressed in black with long chestnut brown hair, which was pulled back into a braid. His dark cobalt blue eyes almost seemed violet in the night sky as he grimaced at the girl in front of him as if it pained him to be there._

_       "Unfortunately princess, you do," he answered softly as he looked down at the ground before meeting his eyes with her own._

_       "I-I do not understand. I don't remember you, yet somehow, I do." the violet-eyed girl said staring at the man standing in front of her._

_       Slowly, he approached Hotaru, watching her every movement. "I know. Soon that won't matter."_

_       The girl blinked in confusion as she shook her head. "But-"_

_       "Shh." the man quietly said as he interrupted Hotaru, bringing his hand up to her mouth, silencing her. It killed him to say what he had to tell her, but he had no choice. If only there were another way. He knew she would be upset, but destiny had to be. Unfortunately, in their case, destiny can be very cruel._

_       Hotaru looked intently at the man who placed his hand to her mouth. She feared what he was about to say but every bone in her body already knew every word that was about to come out of his mouth. _

_       The wind suddenly picked up, blowing their hair across their young faces. Even the wind knew what the next few words were going to be. It seemed like it was trying to comfort to the two young people but it backfired only adding onto their frustrations. _

_       Taking a deep breath, the long haired man tried to gather his composure. He knew it was going to be very difficult, but it had to be said. "What I have to tell you is important. Tomorrow, you will face your ultimate battle. The results of this will leave your friends injured pretty badly but they continue on with their lives, unfortunately, you will die."_

_       Hotaru's eyes widened in disbelief as she backed away from him in horror. 'No it had to be an awful trick,' she thought as she shook her head, clenching her jaw. "No, you're lying! You're lying to me you terrible person! You don't know anything! I'm going to live and become a nurse, I..I" Bringing her hands up to her face, the girl stumbled and fell to ground as the man tried to catch her._

_       Holding onto her firmly, the chestnut brown-haired man, firmly said, "Listen to me. Firefly, look at me. There is no other way. You are faced with an option of either letting your friends die and the rest of the world being conquered by Chaos or heroically saving them by sacrificing yourself. Admirably, you choose the latter."_

_       Hotaru blinked back the tears as she whispered, '"Fatal Detonation. I destroy the enemy, but myself as well."_

_       Carefully, the cobalt blue-eyed man, helped the girl to her feet, watching her carefully incase she fainted. "Yes, it's a very difficult task, but you reluctantly take it anyway."_

_       Looking up, she saw the seemingly charming man was gazing down at her. Hotaru slightly blushed as she questioned him. "Who are you? How do you know all this?"_

_       Surprisingly he smiled, "I am the subconscious of the Shinigami. The day after you die, the man who is myself will perish in a battle as well, and just like you, he chooses his friends and the world over his own life. I would like it if you could do exactly as I have done for you my Goddess of Destruction and Rebirth, warn him gently. Discovering that you are going to die the next day is not exactly the easiest thing." _

_       Violet eyes stared deeply into blue ones as she softly asked, "But why? I still don't understand."_

_       The man closed his eyes as he sighed, then opened them, carefully examining Hotaru's face as he grimly spoke, "We are not meant to live on the Earth or anywhere near it. The only reason we were reborn here was to prevent total devastation of the world sparing many lives," the chestnut brown-haired man leaned his face close to the girl's bringing her chin up so he could look into her amazingly bright violet eyes. It hurt him to see Hotaru like this, so filled with fear and disbelief. If only things could be different. Swallowing, he continued, "Unfortunately, sooner or later, we must depart from it." Slowly, the man pressed his lips against Hotaru's in a soft kiss. Pulling away, Duo whispered, "Don't think of it as death but as a new beginning." _

_       The girl let out a small gasp as he pulled away. "Why are you so familiar?"_

_       Gently stroking her cheek with his hand he softly answered Hotaru. "Let's just say, we have known each other since forever. I'll see you soon Firefly. Please do not be afraid," he smirked as he disappeared into he mist.                 _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Hotaru gasped as she awoke. "That dream!" she began to say when realization hit her. "No, it wasn't a dream. I really am going to die tomorrow. I guess peace cannot last forever after all."

       Reluctantly, she went back to sleep, knowing that it will be her last, however, did not seem to make it too restful, only resulting in consistent tossing and turning.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       The sun shone brightly across Hotaru's pale features as she lazily awoke. "No, please it can't be morning. Why couldn't he have warned me earlier?" she said to herself as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I wonder what my last meal will be? Probably toast and tea."

       Knowing you were hours away from death was quite unnerving, the violet-eyed girl discovered as she stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. "I wonder if the others know what is about to happen?" 

       But no one had any idea; instead they went on with the day like any other. Michiru was cooking breakfast while Haruka was outside washing her car. Setsuna was found in the office typing furiously at her computer. Nothing out of the ordinary. Hotaru wished that she could warn them as well, but was afraid that she'd somehow mess up what was to be. 

       Deciding that she wasn't too hungry, the dark-haired girl retreated up to her room to get cleaned up and changed, putting on her favorite pair of dark jeans and a royal purple shirt with black boots. "Last time I'll wear this," she sadly said to herself as she ran a brush through her long dark hair, which now reached the middle of her back.

       Suddenly, Hotaru felt her eyes began to water, "No, I can't cry. I can't. I have to be brave, but I don't want to die," she softly whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her body. 

_       Please do not be afraid._

       A smile appeared on the girl's face as the final words from the incredibly handsome and familiar man, entered her head, as if trying to soothe her pain that was soon to be reality.

       Suddenly her communicator went off as voices began shouting at each other filled the rooms of the mansion, some even beckoning Hotaru to follow them. 

       "This is it. Goodbye, room. Goodbye my wonderful home. I guess I don't have to worry about the damn finals anymore," Hotaru grimly thought as she grabbed her transformation wand off of her dresser. "I'll be seeing you soon, Duo."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       As soon as Sailor Saturn and the other outer soldiers arrived at the park where the battle was taking place, one fact was clear. Chaos was definitely back, and would give no mercy to those that tried to prevent her reign over the world.

       The senshi of destruction and rebirth tried not to stare at the blood smeared across the pavement or the brutal appearance of her friends. She knew she had to be strong. This was her fate. To die honorably as the bringer of peace. 

       Saturn watched as the others attempted to fight Chaos, the results were broken bones and their blood being sprayed through the air. The ones in the worst shape were Mars and Jupiter. Venus also looked really bad as well. Crimson red was streaked through her light blonde hair and her costume was now in shambles as were everyone else's.

       Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto then stepped in, but Saturn knew they would not be able to make a major impact on that hell-spawned demon. 

       "When are you people going to realize that you cannot defeat me?!" Chaos cackled as she threw Uranus through a wall as Neptune skidded across the grass, and falling down the step concrete steps and Pluto crashed into a tree. All three appeared to be in some pretty severe pain. 

       Sailor Neptune rubbed the blood off her face, staining her white gloves as she gathered up her energy for her attack.

       "DEEP SUBMERGE!" the aqua-haired woman shouted, throwing a ball of energy and water at Chaos who instead reflected the attack back at Neptune, causing the woman to scream out in pain as the attack relentlessly hit her. 

       Saturn noted that Eternal Sailor Moon was pretty severely injured, slipping in and out of consciousness, as was Mercury. Everyone appeared to be on the verge of getting up, but most could barely move. 'It's now or never.'

       Taking a deep breath the purple-clad Sailor Soldier approached Chaos, "You will not rule this world. I alone shall be the one to stop you," Saturn said with determination in her voice as her violet eyes went cold with hatred towards the demon in front her. 

       Chaos only laughed at the girl. "Go ahead and try my dear, but it's your funeral," she sneered.

       Saturn summoned her Silence Glaive as she stared dead on at Chaos, "If I die then I'm taking you with me. The only difference is you'll burn in hell!" she smirked. Hotaru had no idea where that came from but it felt right.

       In a blink of an eye, Saturn rushed Chaos with her glaive in hand prepared to run her through, instead the demon side-stepped the girl, grabbing a hold of the weapon and pushing it into the violet-eyed girl, resulting in Hotaru losing her grip causing the blade to slice her face. 

       Wincing in pain, she brought her hand up to her bleeding cheek, as she turned to face Chaos. 

       "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you cut yourself?" Chaos smirked as Saturn glared at her before charging once again, this time without the Glaive, only using punches and kicks as her only weapons. After a few good hits, Chaos retaliated, resulting in a good blow to Saturn's ribs which she swore she heard snap, kidneys, a few hits to the face and her shoulder pulled painfully out of joint.

       The other Sailor Senshi could only helplessly watch, discovering that they no strength left, even after watching Saturn's brutal beatings.

       Weakly, the soldier of destruction and rebirth, found herself collapsing to the ground as she fell to her knees coughing up blood. 'Great, I knew I'd have that metallic taste in my mouth once again,' she grimly thought groaning at the throbbing in her body. She knew that she shouldn't try Silence Glaive Surprise for fear of it being reflected back as she witnessed occur with her friends.

       Hotaru's head was ringing so badly that she couldn't tell if anyone was shouting for her or not. It didn't matter. It was time to end everything. "Just why must it end like this?" she bitterly muttered, stumbling to her feet, wincing as the aching in her bones continued.

       Neptune glanced up as Saturn stood up, recognizing the cold, deadly look in the girl's eyes. "Oh no. She is not going to do it. Is she?!"

       "What?! What's wrong?!" Venus asked as she looked at Neptune's worried eyes.

       "She's going to use Fatal Detonation It kills the enemy but because it's so powerful, it kills Saturn as well. I surprised she remembers the attack," Pluto quietly explained as the other girl's eyes went wide.

       Climbing to her feet Sailor Moon stood up, "Saturn! Don't do it!"

       Abruptly, the girl spun around and faced her friends for the last time. Nervously she bit her lip. 

_       "Please don't be afraid."_

       Taking a deep breath, the soldier of destruction and rebirth held her head high, "I must. I want all of you to know that I love you and will be with each of you always but this is my duty and I cannot betray fate."

       Uranus would not stand to hear such nonsense. She always was stubborn. "Saturn! Don't be crazy! There has to be another way!"

       "No there isn't," she firmly stated as her Glaive appeared in her hand once again. "It is my destiny to sacrifice myself to save all of you and preserve peace as well. Don't even think to try and stop me because I will not hesitate to lay my glaive upon any one of you. Goodbye." With those last words she turned to face her last enemy. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, but I couldn't be rude and die without saying goodbye first."

       "Appropriate enough," Chaos sneered which only made Saturn roll her violet eyes. "Let's just get this over with shall we?" With lightening speed, a sword materialized in Chaos's hand, which was soon thrust through the Senshi of Destruction's stomach, as she cried out on pain. Just as quickly, the sword was pulled out. Hugging her wound as life slowly began to fade from her already mutilated body, Saturn stood up on her own two shaky feet. She had to end this now.

       Pluto was the only one who was not terrified as she watched the scene play out and instead realized something very important. "She knows what she must do. Death must have already approached her."

       Shaking her head weakly in disbelief Jupiter murmured, "She really is going to do it."

       "I can't believe we are about to lose her," Venus softly said as she stared at the two fighters.

       "No Saturn," Mars sadly said.

       "You do have to admire her bravery though," Mercury said as Saturn began to focus all of her energy.

       Slowly Saturn closed her eyes, trying urgently to gather every bit of energy in her body for her final attack. Opening her eyes, she spun her glaive in her hands in a wide circle, concentrating all her strength to it before shouting out her last two words. "FATAL DETONATION!" 

       Chaos couldn't believe the girl was actually going to destroy herself so that the demon would never be a threat again. It was suicide, but Hotaru preferred to think of it as a sacrifice for a good cause. 

       A calm silence emitted through the air and a wave of violet energy overtook Chaos as well as Hotaru herself. "I'm coming Duo," were Hotaru's last thoughts as life left her weak body, causing her to crumble to the ground like a child's rag doll. 

       Tears filled the eyes of the survivors. Hotaru had given up her life for them and they had no way to repay the favor.

       "I can't believe she died for us," Neptune said as she tried to hold her tears back. 

       The others agreed as they gazed down at her beaten, fragile, lifeless body sprawled out on the hard pavement. 

      Hotaru looked down on the sailor senshi. She knew they were probably still in shock over what just happened, but she had to die. "I'm so sorry, but it was something that I had to do. Please do not feel too much pain over my death. Take care of each other."      

_       With a small smile Hotaru left her sobbing friends who were trying to comfort each other over the loss of the youngest sailor soldier. _

_       "Soon it's going to be Duo's turn to hear some bad news. I wonder what he is doing right now."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Wow I actually have this one out! You won't believe how long I have worked on this! Since before I started Shattered Reality to be exact. I hope you liked it. This was my first romantic death fic, which portrayed the romance in the first chapter. Usually I like to build it up. There is a lot more to the story than it appears to be. Prepare for a large twist. 

Oh, I had to create a new attack for Saturn basically so that she'd sacrifice herself but not destroy the world at the same time because that was not the point. I figure Fatal Detonation speaks for itself as an attack.  

Let me now what you think ^_^  


	2. Death's Demise

Dual Fates Part 2

Death's Demise

by

Sailor Janus

        Duo sat on the grass near the salvage yard playing with a couple of thin green strips of grass. It wasn't that he was feeling lazy like he usually did, but the twenty year old for some strange reason almost felt at peace, as if he were trying to prepare for a horrible event that was to take place. 

       "But isn't it stupid to think this way? It isn't like I'm going to die tomorrow or something?" the chestnut brown-haired pilot mumbled to himself as he stared up at the artificial sky. It was going to get dark soon.

       Suddenly a chill coursed through Duo's body, sending shivers down his spine. "Strange, it's not supposed to get cool yet," he said to himself feeling oddly wistful. Everything felt so different and at the same time, as if nothing seemed to hold any value. Whatever was once incredibly important was now purely pointless. 

       Normally, he'd go pester Heero or Wufei, but the blue-eyed pilot wanted to be alone for some reason. It was like Duo had suddenly aged.  'Maybe I'm getting sick,' he decided reclining back to the point where he was practically lying on the thick fake grass. 

       The Gundam pilot did not even feel like his usual cheerful self. In fact, melancholy was the more appropriate word for this new sensation. He felt like he was about to both lose and gain something at the same time. The idea of this was so foreign and disturbing, that Duo wished he could share what he was experiencing with one of the other pilots. However the blue-eyed man came to the conclusion that they either would not understand, telling him it was only his imagination and that the feeling would go away in a few days or say he needed some psychiatric help. "There is no way I'm going to see a shrink!" Duo scoffed out loud, watching the sky begin to dim. 

       With a sigh, the cobalt blue-eyed pilot climbed to his feet. The artificial sky never did compare to the Earth's with its brilliant sunsets, sunrises, and the stars, glowing brilliantly down upon Duo. "Maybe some sleep will do me good," he said to himself, turning to walk into the small house next to the salvage yard. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       The braided-haired pilot found himself staring up at the ceiling. White chalky paint with a small amount of texture, but boring nonetheless. For some odd reason, he was almost afraid to sleep yet at the same time eager, which was rather confusing and frustrating. 

       Before he realized it, Duo Maxwell had fallen fast asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       "Duo."_

_       The young man curiously gazed around his surroundings. He was outside, standing on dew-kissed grass wearing his usual black clothing as a gentle breeze blew his long bangs across his forehead.              _

_       Suddenly, Duo heard his name called out once again. The voice was very soft and feminine, taking him by surprise. Quickly he glanced up, finding a pretty dark-haired girl looking up at him. Her deep violet eyes shone in the moonlight as a tiny smile graced her face yet she seemed to appear incredibly sad._

_       "Huh? Who are you?" the cobalt blue-eyed man asked, facing the petite girl wearing a flowing lavender dress._

_       She bit her lip, briefly shutting her eyes before quietly answering, "You'll remember in due time."_

_       Duo's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. "I... you seem familiar. Were you in one of my classes or something?"_

_       The dark-haired girl appeared to almost laugh as she shook her head. "No. I wasn't. We go a lot further back than school."_

_       The chestnut brown-haired pilot frowned as he tried to think back. "Were you one of the Sweepers? Or maybe one of the kids I used to know when L2 had that plague."_

_       "No. Listen Duo, I must tell you something very important." the girl said before thickly swallowing. Why did they have to be faced with death for their future? And why was she the one to break the news. "If you noticed, death seems to occur around you quite often. Am I correct?"_

_       Duo briefly dropped his jaw as he stared at the dark-haired beauty. "Y-yes. Death follows me everywhere I go. That's why I call myself-"_

_       "God of Death. The Shinigami," the girl finished as she raised her eyes to meet his. _

_       The braided-haired pilot blinked at the girl's words in amazement. "How did you know?!"_

_      The violet-eyed young woman sighed deeply as the wind blew her hair towards her face. Duo tried to resist the urge to brush her hair away as she softly spoke. "Meet the Goddess of Destruction and Rebirth. Your higher form warned me of my death a day ago. Now it's my turn to repay the favor."   _

_       The pilot stared in horror as his face grew extremely pale. "You-you mean I'm going to die?! But that's not fair! Why?!"_

_       The girl winced at Duo's reaction. If only there were a way to make this easier. Sadly she glanced at the grass as she approached the stunned man. "Duo, calm down. Tomorrow there will a very difficult battle between the gundams and the newest faction, which call themselves Dark Falcon. Dark Falcon has created their own more powerful gundam called Revolution. They remained concealed from the Preventers and no one even knew of their existence until the day they seek world dominance. That day is tomorrow." the dark-haired girl took a deep breath as she looked into Duo's blue eyes. "You and the other pilots are in a seemingly endless battle against the mobile suit. All of you give everything you have but it isn't enough. You're weak and injured but strain to continue the fight. Suddenly just Revolution is about to execute your friends, you take advantage and slam your gundam into it and away from the others, drifting away towards the Dark Falcon base as you hit the self detonation button, destroying all."_

_       Duo stared into the girl's bright violet eyes as he inquired, "There was no other way?"_

_        The young woman dropped her gaze as she stared at the grass once again. "No, my dear Shinigami, there isn't. It was either yourself or the others. You chose the most valiant act possible."_

_       The man however still did not want to believe that the beautiful girl before him, knew his future. No it could not be real. Death cannot be his fate. "But why?! Why must someone die?!" he shouted, spinning around as he balled his fists into two tight balls. _

_       The dark-haired girl quickly took a hold of one of Duo's hands without even thinking. She only wanted to make this revelation as painless as possible "I didn't understand it myself at the time before I was to meet my own death, but now I do. We are not meant for the Earth. Our only reason was to prevent the devastation that would occur without our selflessness." Carefully she reached her hand up to run her hand down the pilot's face. "You'll die a hero."_

_       Duo felt a little more composed. For some reason, he couldn't seem to hate the girl. It was as if they were tied together. Whatever he had to experience, she did too and so forth. "Why? I still don't understand? How can I actually be the God of Death or Shinigami as you called me? I thought it was only a nickname. And why must I die?"_

_       Violet eyes gazed deeply into blue ones as the girl softly spoke. "Duo," she murmured before lightly kissing him on the mouth, stunning the braided-haired young man. "I wish I could prevent this horrible destiny from occurring but I can't. Everything will come together as the events happen. It did for me." Gently, she ran her fingers through his chestnut brown hair, with a tiny smile. Duo only stared at her as he listened, almost mesmerized by the soft tone of her voice. "Please remember your sacrifice will not be in vain, not to mention you'll save so many lives. Don't fear what you are, you're the Shinigami."  _       

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Duo sat straight up as he awoke from the hauntingly realistic dream. "Wow! What a dream!" he exclaimed, tossing his chestnut brown braid off of his shoulder. "She was cute too! Too bad she said I was going to die tomorrow." he mumbled, frowning. Why was it only the most beautiful girls had bad news. This was the first time Duo had actually experienced this, the other times were in movies. "Could it be true? Am I really going to die? Man this is going to bite!" he decided, flopping back down on the semi-comfortable bed, deciding even the dead needed their rest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*        

       The cobalt blue-eyed pilot awoke to the sound of his telephone ringing. Groggily, he answered, slurring a semi-coherent "Hello." A very urgent Heero was on the other line pronouncing everything the girl from Duo's dream had predicted. 

       Hanging up, the man rubbed his eyes before climbing off his bed and turning towards the window. "Well, this looks like the perfect day to die," he said dryly before rushing off to change. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       "Well, this is it old buddy. Time for one last battle. Man am I going to miss you," Duo said as he glanced up at his Deathscythe Hell gundam with a grin. 

       With determination written on his face, the pilot climbed inside, preparing to begin his last mission, but he had to do it. It was his destiny. 

       "Duo. Duo! Where are you?" a very irritated Heero radioed in.

       The long haired pilot sighed. Heero was notorious for being impatient when it came to missions. How he was going to miss that, and Trowa's silent yet well perceived attitude, Quatre's kindness, and hell, even Wufei's insults. "I'm taking off right now." 

       With one last glance at the storage building, which housed his gundam, Duo pressed a few buttons and swiftly soared off into space.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       As soon as the young man arrived at the battlefield, he could tell that situation was very bleak. The other gundams were practically damaged beyond repair. Duo wondered how his friends could possibly survive without accidentally self-detonating due to the destruction on their mobile suits. 

       'Damn it! That guy is going to kill them!' the 02 pilot thought as he watched in horror as Trowa's Heavyarms just ran out of both bullets and missiles, leaving the mobile suit practically powerless except for it's small knife as the Revolution gundam nearly blew off the green-eyed man's head, only to be blocked by a very relentless Heero commanding the Wing Zero. 

       Sandrock, was actually missing an arm and half of a leg as well. Both of the heat shoals were gone, thrown as a last resort attack. The kind-hearted blonde appeared to be slipping into unconsciousness after a few too many hits. Trowa and Wufei were constantly talking to him, trying their hardest to keep Quatre awake. 

       The Altron gundam was also in very rough shape. The twin beam trident had been sliced into two, completely useless now. All the firepower had been immensely used up, including both of the dragon fangs. The Chinese man was practically as helpless as Trowa and Quatre now.

       Heero was barely able to hold his own against the more powerful gundam. Somehow, the pilot of Revolution had scrambled the Zero system, leaving it worthless. The machine cannon had already been used up as well as the twin buster riffle. Wasted on close misses. Regardless, the Perfect Soldier continued battling the Revolution gundam using only his beam saber. 

       Unfortunately, the new gundam appeared to have the best of all the gundams.  The Wing Zero's twin buster rifle and beam saber, Deathscythe Hell's Buster shield, Heavyarms's homing and micro missiles, Sandrock's armor, and the Altron's vulcan. 

       Duo in horror watched as the Wing Zero's arm was sliced off, now rendering the mobile suit completely incompetent for battle. 

       "This is it," The Deathscythe Hell pilot said before charging into the fight with his beam scythe raised to attack, preventing his friend's death by a split second. "Hey! Why don't you try fighting someone who can still fight back!"

       "Ha! The 02 pilot. I'm going to finish you off," the Revolution pilot snarled as he fired the a few missiles at the new comer. 

       Duo snickered as he struck again, but unfortunately missed as the missiles smashed into Deathscythe Hell, tearing into the large gundam as if it were made of paper.   "Not if I don't first."

       The Dark Falcon's superior gundam took a swipe at the 02 gundam, slicing into Duo's mobile suit, scaring the hell out him as shards of Gundamium reached out, stabbing painfully into his body.  

       "Ahhh! Shit!" the man yelled, knowing he was running out of options, everything else had either been used up, or was not replaced from the last battle. The cobalt-blue-eyed pilot could hear his friends screaming for him over the inner-com, but he had to ignore them. It was time to meet his fate. The question was could he really succeed?

_       "Don't fear what you are, you're the Shinigami."      _

       Duo nodded his head as determination filled his blue eyes. He was the God of Death and this was just something he had to do even if it was purely suicide. Sacrifice seemed like the better word however. "It's time to meet your maker you piece of crap," he growled as danger flashed into his blue eyes. 

       Heero recognized right away what the Deathscythe Hell pilot was planning and did not like it. "Duo! Don't do it! I know exactly what you are up to and it's suicide! There's got to be another way!" 

       The braided-haired man shook his head. "Sorry man, but it's my destiny. I'm really going to miss all of you! Goodbye!" he quickly said before switching on the boosters, sending his gundam plowing into Revolution before the pilot even knew what hit him.

       "Duo! No! Stop!" Quatre cried out, tears flooding his blue eyes watching the two gundams soar towards the Dark Falcon base.

       Wufei could not believe what he was seeing. Why? "Duo you baka! Don't do it!" he yelled hoping the pilot would gain some sanity before practically killing himself.

       "Duo, don't do it! We're not worth you dying!" Trowa shouted as he shook his head. "No."

       Relentlessly, Duo would not listen. It was almost time to go out with a bang. How appropriate. 

       "You are insane! Release me at once!" the Revolution pilot screamed as fear filled his dark eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was the one to execute the insipid gundam pilots, not the other way around.

_      " Don't fear what you are, you're the Shinigami."         _

       "It's time to taste the wrath of the God of Death! SHINIGAMI!" Duo yelled at the top of his lungs as he pressed the self-detonation button, just as they were about to crash into the base. 

       Deathscythe Hell gundam erupted in a huge blaze as it exploded, destroying both of the gundams as well as the base. Duo's four friends could only helplessly watch, as their friend took his life to spare their own.  

       The Arabian burst into tears as he stared at the massive destruction, granted by the brave pilot. "DUO! NOOOOOOOO!"

       "Duo," The Perfect Soldier quietly said as a strange feeling filled his heart. Sorrow.

       "That braided baka! He actually did it!" Wufei choked out as he tried to contain his composure. 

       The Heavyarms pilot shut his eyes as he bowed his head. "He's dead. He killed himself for us and the safety of the world."

       "Come on. Let's see if we can find his body."  Heero said, guiding his damaged suit to the site of the wreckage as his surviving friends reluctantly, followed. 

       "He-he died a hero," Quatre stuttered, as his cheeks continued being soaked with hot tears.

       Prussian blue-eyed man tried to keep his focus on finding Duo's body. "I always thought I would be the first to give up my life for the good of the world, but Duo beat me to it."

       _Duo watched his friends pick through the remains of the two gundams in hopes of recovering his broken body. He shuddered when they finally found it and turned away. "I can't watch this. It's just too hard. I wonder if I can find that girl. Hotaru." he said floating around in space before realizing something strange. "Wait... how did I know that was her name?! She never told me!" With one glance at his mourning friends Duo gave one last smile as he waved goodbye, "Bye guys and take care. I'll miss all of you." _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Don't worry. This is far from over. The next part will have some very interesting humor in it but hey Duo is one of the main characters so that should be expected.

I have got to say wow and thank you for all the reviews. I realize that killing the main characters off right away is not exactly a normal way to begin a multi-chaptered fic but oh well. I like being different, lol.  


	3. Remembrance

Dual Fates Part 3

Remembrance

by

Sailor Janus

_       Hotaru closed her eyes as a calm feeling flooded her emotions. "My poor Shinigami. I wish I truly understood why this had to happen, but at least we can face whatever fate has in store for us together," she softly said to herself, patiently waiting for Duo to appear as she paced on the damp, green grass, which lay under her small bare feet._

_       The dark-haired girl found it odd however, that rather than the bloody and mutilated sailor senshi uniform which she wore taking her very last breath, instead Hotaru was dressed the same lavender dress she wore in her dream. _

_       There was something else peculiar about everything, but the violet-eyed young woman's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of the deceased gundam pilot. "Duo." she whispered feeling so uncertain whether to hug the man or stand her ground as the man dressed completely in black walked towards her. _

_       'Hey, there's that girl! At last I have found her!'  the cobalt blue-eyed man smirked, jogging a little faster towards the melancholy looking girl. "Hey! Hotaru!" _

_       Hotaru swallowed thickly, staring up at the pilot with the long braided hair. "Are you okay?" she lightly asked, glancing sorrowfully up at him as if trying to say 'I'm so sorry.'_

_       Surprisingly, Duo grinned, tossing his arms behind his head in a very nonchalant fashion. "Actually I feel pretty good for a dead guy."_

_       The girl blinked at his response before finally giggling. The Shinigami always did have the habit of changing whatever seemed so painful and uncertain into nothing more than a silly joke. "So what do we do now? Should we leave or remain here?"_

_       The pilot scratched his head, seeming equally as confused as the young woman. It was not like they knew exactly what to do next. "Well, I do have a funeral to go to tomorrow. Unfortunately, it's my own. Wanna be my date?" he replied, lightly taking the girl's hand in an affectionate gesture._

_       Hotaru had to giggle. Only Duo could make death seem so unimportant. "Sure. So what's going to happen next?"_

_       Duo shrugged, dropping his eyes down to the cool damp grass. 'Wasn't I here during my final dream?' he thought raising his cobalt eyes to meet the violet-eyed girl's in front of him. With a light tug, he pulled Hotaru's fragile form into his strong arms. "No idea. It's a little strange being dead. At least we are together once again," he whispered through the girl's dark locks, into her ear._

_       Hotaru released herself from the chestnut brown-haired man's tight embrace, and took both of his large hands into her two smaller ones, slightly smiling up at him. "Yeah. I wonder what it would have been like to be together. While we were still alive." Gently, she pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss. _

_       "I guess we'll never know," Duo answered breathlessly as the young woman sat on the cool grass, pulling him down with her. _

_       Leaning her head on his shoulder, Hotaru softly murmured, "What are you going to miss most? About life and your world?" _

_       The pilot closed his eyes for a moment in thought. "I don't really know. Maybe talking to my friends, my Gundam Deathscythe Hell, eating, but really, I think I'll miss Heero the most. He has really come a long way since I had first met him. What about you?"_

_       The girl sighed as she too contemplated an answer. "I'll miss all of the other Sailor Senshi. They became my second family, especially Michiru, Setsuna, and Haruka. I'll also miss the feel of rain falling gently on my skin and the bright stars shining down on me at night."_

_       Duo nodded, as he wrapped an arm around Hotaru, pulling her in close. "Funny how we never truly hold value in the little things until they are gone." _

_       "Yes, I agree," Hotaru softly whispered._

_       "At least we had time to say goodbye before sacrificing ourselves," the pilot said as the girl sat up, bringing her knees to her chest as she wrapped her thin arms around them. _

_       A bittersweet smile graced the young woman's face as she lifted her head, to gaze into the slender of the night sky and its brightly glowing stars. "Yes, I just wish it could have been easier. Saying goodbye I mean. I could literally feel everyone's sorrow and pain as I used Fatal Detonation."               _

_       Duo chuckled slightly. "You think that is bad, try practically being ripped to shreds inside a Gundam! The thing was being sliced open as if it were made of cardboard! Not to mention that was long before I self-detonated. There was metal protruding from my body in places and ways I can't even describe!" he explained, as a playful grin appeared on his handsome features. "If I hadn't destroyed myself, I would have bled to death anyway."_

_       Hotaru nodded in understanding as she too shared the tale of meeting her gruesome fate. "I was basically covered with stab wounds and bruises on every inch of my tattered body. My costume was torn so badly it was practically reduced to rags.  Every single part of it was saturated with dirt or my own blood. Needless to say, I was in pretty bad shape. Then when Chaos impaled my gut with her sword, I knew I wouldn't survive even without your warning. So I gathered all my remaining energy, picked myself off the ground, said my goodbyes, and ended it all."_

_       The man cringed with realization of how violent their deaths really were. "Gee, I bet the mortician had a fun time trying to touch us up!" he exclaimed, while tossing his arms behind his head._

_       The violet-eyed girl stared horrified at him before she broke down into a fit of giggles. "Duo! That is terrible! But yeah, I wonder how they said I died."_

_      "Well, from the sound of it, you would probably look better if you were hit head on by a speeding garbage truck!" Duo snickered, which earned him, a very well deserved punch in the arm._

_       Hotaru smirked as she retaliated back. "Oh yeah? So are you in pieces or did your body stay whole after the explosion?"_

_       "Hotaru!" The cobalt blue-eyed pilot choked, stunned at such a question, but it should have expected. "You know, I have no idea. I didn't look nor did I want to. Finding you was the only thing on my mind after that," he replied, glancing into the girl's gentle violet eyes before bending over to kiss her lightly on the lips. Pulling away he snorted. "You know, this conversation is really morbid."_

_       Hotaru burst out laughing again, shoving Duo away as she came to the same conclusion. "You think?! We are dead and discussing how screwed up our bodies must look!"_

_       "My thoughts exactly," Duo grinned as he playfully yanked Hotaru backwards, causing her to shriek in surprise. Carefully, he pulled her back into his arms. After that, the laughter died down. _

_       Suddenly the dark-haired girl dropped her head as she frowned. Something was gravely bothering her but she could not put her finger on what. _

_       "What's wrong Firefly?" the pilot calmly asked watching Hotaru struggle out of his grip, and twisted herself around to face the Shinigami. _

_       Briefly she glanced down at her hands before meeting Duo's blue eyes with her violet ones. The next few words out her mouth seemed to freeze in the air as she explained a startling revelation. "This isn't the first time this has happened. Both of us forced to sacrifice ourselves in order to save the lives of others. The only difference between then and now is that we were together the first time."_

_       "Wait, what do you... you're right. We have died like this before and were actually together. It was the first time we met," Duo quietly spoke as he nodded his head, taking one of Hotaru's hands in his own._

_       "Is history repeating itself?" she whispered, feeling his strong grip on her small hand._

_       The cobalt blue-eyed man stiffly nodded his head as he focused his eyes on Hotaru's. "I-I think so Firefly, except this time, we actually get a funeral."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*     

       It was a pleasant day on the planet Saturn. The temperature was perfect, warm with a light breeze blowing across the land. All the same, it was still rather depressing for the isolated princess of the Kingdom of Titan.

       "Yet, another forsaken day for the lonesome princess of this horrible forbidden kingdom. Why must everyone dislike and fear me so? Curse my powers!" Hotaru said to herself, sitting in the middle of a field of violets, admiring their timid beauty. 

       Suddenly, the princess was aware of another presence in the large field of purple flowers. Glancing up, she found herself face to face with a rather charming looking young man with a long chestnut brown braid. "Princess Saturn, I presume?" he asked in recognition to the girl sitting in front of him.

       Hotaru blinked up at the man who was in a soldier's uniform. "Yes, who may I ask are you?" she questioned him while carefully climbing to her feet, trying not to trip on the hem of her silk lavender dress.

       The cobalt blue-eyed soldier bowed as he introduced himself. "They call me Duo."

       The princess briefly smiled as she nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Duo. What is the circumstance for your arrival to my kingdom?"

       "Um, I'm a soldier who is stationed in your lovely planet so I decided to drop by and introduce myself so hi!" Duo explained as he turned a slight shade of red.

       The dark-haired girl giggled at the response. "Well, I appreciate your visit greatly. I don't exactly receive much in the way of company since everyone basically fears my powers," she softly said, dropping her violet eyes to the ground.

       The man scoffed as he crossed his arms in disgust. "That's really stupid because you seem like a really sweet person. They just don't know what they are missing!"

       "Stop it! You're making me blush!" Saturn said as she covered her face in embarrassment. 'Why is he being so kind to me?'

       "It's true. I still do not understand why people are so afraid of you," Duo grinned as he brushed a strand of hair from Hotaru's face.              

       The girl sighed, realizing all good things had to come to an end. "It's because I possess the power to destroy the world with three simple words," she sadly whispered, dropping her head, knowing this wonderfully, kind man was going to leave her as well. Just like everyone else.

       Instead the soldier did something completely unexpected. Carefully he took her hand in his and lightly kissed it. "Really? Gee, I have to remember not to tick you off!" he grinned, lowering the princess's hand.

       Hotaru looked surprised at the charming soldier in front of her. "You mean you aren't going to leave?" 

       Duo blinked and quickly smirked. "Just because you can destroy the world? No. It's not like intend to use your power on an everyday basis and threaten everyone that if you do not get your way, you'll demolish everything. Although a power like that does have its possibilities."

       "Duo!" the violet-eyed princess laughed. "Thank you. You are really nice and truthfully, I have never laughed this much in years!"

       "Glad to oblige, princess," the cobalt blue-eyed man smiled as he nodded his head and took her hand once again, kissing it lightly in respect. "I hate to say this, but I must go. Duty calls." 

       Hotaru actually appeared saddened at the news. "Please come and visit again soon." she softly whispered as a gentle smile graced her face.

       Duo grinned as he turned away. "You can count on it." With a small wave, he departed from the Princess of Destruction and Rebirth. Both however knew that would not be the last they would see of each other. It was far from it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       Hotaru pulled away from Duo and frowned, ending the recollection of their past. Something still felt really off, but what?_

_       "What's the matter? Why did you stop?" the pilot asked, looking curiously at the girl sitting in front of him. _

_       The dark-haired young woman briefly bit her lip before answering. "I was just reflecting on our present situation. How did you know I was supposed to sacrifice myself?"_

_       Duo blinked at the question as he stared bewildered at the girl. "I didn't."              _

_       "But you did. I instinctively can recall you telling me that your inner subconscious knew of our fates and to warn you gently. You do not remember?" Hotaru said as the Shinigami shook his head. "That's peculiar. You should... wait... how could that- this isn't real."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Sorry it took this long to update, but moving is a pain. 

Thank you so much for the reviews. I'm very glad you all are enjoying this story and as you may have just noticed, I threw my trademark twist into it. 

I am so happy I actually got this moving again. I hit a really bad writer's block but it crumbled after I bought Dido's cd. The song 'Here With Me' actually fit perfectly for this chapter. 

The rating my change to R due to one chapter, which I just, started writing for the near future. It's nothing really bad, but the characters are acting in a way that is very unlikely of them. You'll understand this as the story continues on. 

Reality is not always what it appears to be....


	4. Broken Reality

Dual Fates Part 4

Broken Reality

by

Sailor Janus

_       Duo blinked at Hotaru's latest revelation. "Huh? What do you mean this isn't real? You mean we didn't die?"_

_       The dark-haired girl bit her lip. This was going to be a little more complicated to interpret than she previously thought. "We did die, many to times to be exact, but are not deceased in our present lives. You as a Gundam pilot and myself as a Sailor Senshi, was one world but not our current one. In our present reality, someone is manipulating us with our past lives and memories, drawing those events out of us. In our own reality, we are not dead," she answered, trying earnestly to explain as clearly as possible. _

_       "But... damn. You're right but how is this even conceivable?!" the pilot frustratedly said. It wasn't making sense like it should. _

_       The violet-eyed young woman contemplated how exactly to put everything into words. "Nothing we remember is a lie. We are actually reliving past lives... and deaths, but each time we affected each other. Someone is studying us but I can't seem to be able to recall our reality. This is surreal."_

_       "Freaky. So we are basically soul mates who have died together?" Duo inquired with a small laugh._

_       Hotaru giggled as she nodded her head. "Yes. Do you remember the other lives? I mean since we can't remember the present, why not the past?"_

_       The chestnut brown-haired man practically jumped up as he realized exactly what the girl was saying. "I get you! If we jog our memories of the past then maybe we'll remember the present!"_

_       "Yeah! So are you ready? This may become too disturbing. After all, we'll witness our numerous deaths all over again," the violet-eyed girl, admitted as she dropped her head. "I don't really know how much this may affect us. It could be more than we can handle."_

_       Duo reached over and gently took Hotaru by the chin lifting her head as he brought his head close to hers, joining their lips together in a soft kiss before he began to speak reassuringly to her. "Don't worry. We'll be in this together. That fact will give us the strength we need to face whatever horrors we once met in our pasts." _

_       The girl smiled as she held out her hands, gazing deeply into her Shinigami's eyes. "Give me your hands," she whispered as Duo too, united his larger hands with her own, meeting his blue stare with her violet one. _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*     

       'I cannot believe this is happening. The war will destroy everything if it does not halt soon. Too many innocent lives are being destroyed because of the selfishness and plain carelessness.' Princess Saturn thought as she stood in the middle of the wilted violet garden. The planets were in a middle of a very callous war against a woman called Queen Beryl. Unfortunately it seemed to be a losing battle. "Sadly, I believe this is one war no one will survive."         

       Duo glanced sorrowfully at the Titan castle. He despised the idea of saying goodbye, but had no choice. He was a soldier and as a soldier he must fight, live, and unfortunately die. Briefly the chestnut brown-haired man hung his head low while closing his cobalt blue eyes. Why did everything have to be so difficult? 

       Taking a deep breath, Duo began his descent up to the castle, desiring to see his princess one last time. They had grown so close and knew almost everything about each other. Hotaru even knew of his nickname Shinigami, and even speculated that perhaps, he really was the God of Death after all.  

       His friends thought he was crazy for falling in love with a princess. It was very likely they could never be together. The Princess of Saturn wedding a servant boy was more believable than a soldier. It could never happen. 

       Then he saw her. The princess's bright violet eyes staring out into the distance as her dark hair blew gently against her pale face. The lavender gown clung to her body as the wind swept through it, making her appear as if she were nothing more than a specter, haunting Duo with her radiant beauty.

       "Hotaru," The soldier murmured, gazed up at the girl standing in the middle of a dying flower garden. 

       Upon recognition, she dropped her eyes to the bottom of the hill. In amazement, she dropped her jaw as tears began to flood her eyes. "Duo!" The princess cried out as she sprinted down the hill, trying earnestly not to trip, heading towards the man she loved. "Oh Duo! I thought I would never see you again!" she exclaimed, throwing her thin arms around him before placing her pale pink lips on his. 

       Abruptly, the soldier pulled away, staring mournfully into her eyes. "Hotaru, what about the people? What if someone sees us?! You know we can't ever be together."

       "Then so be it. All I want is for you to hold me and be here right now, before we must say goodbye one last time. I don't care what is expected of me anymore. You are here and that is all that matter," The violet-eyed girl sternly said dropping her head down on a very stunned Duo's chest.    

       Stiffly, the cobalt blue-eyed soldier reached a hand out, smoothing back his princess's hair. "Hotaru, before I go... I want you to know that... I ...love you." he softly said unable to believe the words that just fell out of his mouth, but was glad they were now out in the open. 

       The dark-haired princess of Saturn glanced up the long haired man, stunned that he actually said the three little words. With a small smile, Hotaru kissed him lightly on the lips before whispering softly in his ear. "I love you too, Duo." 

       Just then, Duo caught sight of Heero and sighed. His best friend was courteous enough to stay quiet over the last meeting. Maybe that was why Duo liked being friends with Heero some much. The Perfect Soldier felt that whatever was someone else's business should remain that way, no matter what it involved.  

       The braided-haired soldier sighed as he pulled away once again. "I can't leave you, but I must," he said as he brushed his lips against Hotaru's.

       Tears fell from the princess's violet eyes as she stared deeply into Duo's cobalt blue eyes. "I know. I just hate having to say goodbye. It's such a final word. Please try to be safe."

       "I will," the brave soldier whispered as he departed with on final, tearful kiss. "Goodbye my Goddess of Destruction and Rebirth."

       "Till we meet again my Shinigami," Hotaru murmured as he watched her true love, walk away from her for the last time. 

       Heero nodded to the princess out of respect before turning his attention to Duo. "I hope you know what you doing," he said in a monotone as they headed off the meet with the other soldiers.

       "Yeah," the long haired man simply said, refusing to look over his shoulder as he felt his heart shatter like glass.   

       The Princess of Saturn wrapped her arms around herself, as she silently watched the two soldiers leave. 'If they must die, then please let it be quick and painless. I can't bear for anyone to suffer,' she thought to herself before turning to enter her castle for one last time.

       Suddenly the image of Queen Serenity appeared in front of the young princess, startling her out of surprise. "Saturn. Please listen to me. This war we are fighting is a losing one. There have been many casualties and more shall come. I hate saying this but there is no hope left. We have no choice. You must destroy this world, Princess. I will use the power of the crystal to revive everyone for a later time, including you," the melancholy woman sternly commanded as the girl in front of her bowed her head.

       "Queen Serenity, your majesty, how could this have happened?! It makes no sense! We are using the strongest armies from over nine planets yet we still can cannot win?"  Hotaru inquired as a slight glimmer of fright appeared in her eyes.

       The queen sighed as she shook her head. "I do not understand this myself. Please end this turmoil we now live and die in," Ever so slightly, the queen of the moon's image began to fade.

       Hotaru sighed deeply, feeling a mixture of determination and fear course through her body. Quickly, she transformed into Sailor Saturn and summoned her glaive in the same instant. 

       If she was going to end the world, then the princess wanted to see her love one last time. She knew Serenity would forbid it, but at the same time, it was very likely she already had acquired the knowledge. The rumors had spread that the princess was in love in a soldier, but no one dared to confront her.  

       With one last glimpse at her kingdom, Saturn set out to find Duo. She knew it was very perilous, but her heart commanded her body at this moment, out of dread of never seeing him again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*                  

       Duo fought as hard as he could but the image of Quatre's death, continued to haunt him. The blonde had been taken by surprise, slaughtered at the hands of  those bastards. Relentlessly, they stabbed the young soldier through the back. He couldn't believe his eyes. Little, sweet Quatre was dead. He was the only who had a chance at a normal life if they were to survive the war, but that was ripped away from him by those cold-hearted fiends! 

       Duo, Heero, Trowa, and even Wufei all made sure they avenged their friend's passing.  Unfortunately, the next to fall was Wufei. He went into such a wild rage over the death that he began fighting carelessly, losing his life as well. The braided-haired man didn't even look to see how the black-haired man had died, the amount of blood proved his speculation.

       Now it was only up to the three of them to protect the kingdom of Saturn. In spite everything, it seemed the death card had been drawn by fate. 

       Duo tried to shut off his hearing when Trowa cried out in pain as he battled head on with his trusty sword. He was the Shinigami. Anyone who met him would die with a violent death. That was they way it had to be. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Saturn searched frantically for Duo. 'He can't be dead yet. He has got to still be alive!'  Hotaru knew she was cutting it close. As soon as she found him, she would have to use her forbidden power before someone decided to choose her as a target. 

       Suddenly a loud scream rang through the cool air. "Duo," she breathlessly whispered, running as fast her legs could carry her to the site of the battlefield.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Duo shuddered at the lifeless form of Trowa, sprawled across the blood soaked grass. He only had one friend left. Was fate mocking him by killing his friends off one by one and pointing it's cruel finger at him pronouncing that Duo was the next to die?! How could reality be so savage and spiteful?! First it takes away the one he loves by guaranteeing that they would never be able to stay together and then rips away his friends one by one leaving only with his humility and a blood-stained sword. Well, he was not about to let his best friend die. This time, he was going to be next to fall. 

       It was strange how slowly everything happened next. One of the Negaverse soldiers attempted to run Heero through, but instead the cobalt blue-eyed man shoved his best friend out of the way, taking the blade of the sword into his own gut. 

       The Perfect Soldier could not understand it. Why did Duo save him, giving up his own life for Heero's?! "Duo, why the hell did you do it?!"  

       The solider grinned. "I didn't want to watch you die, so I figure. It wouldn't hurt to be the one to go next. I was wrong. This is pure agony!" 

       Just then Sailor Saturn arrived. 'Oh no, please don't let me be too late,' she thought, racing towards her fallen love. "Duo! You're hurt!" she cried out, practically throwing herself down to the ground at his side.

       "And probably dying. Sorry I can't stay for too long," he smiled, clutching on his wound. Slowly Hotaru reached out and placed her hand on top of Duo's blood stained ones without even the slightest cringe.

       Tears fell from the princess's eyes as she smiled down at Duo. "Promise you'll wait for me after this world ends?" she softly asked with a small smile across her lips.

       "Always. I will never leave you, Firefly. You have my heart," the soldier whispered as he began fading fast. Reaching up, he lightly stroked her cheek and quietly said, "I...love... you."

       Saturn bent her head down and joined her lips with his in a final kiss, separating only after she felt he was no longer kissing her back. Slightly shaking as she pulled away, the young woman brushed her hand against his face. "And I love you my handsome knight. I'll see again soon."  

       Abruptly, Sailor Saturn stood up, briefly bowing her head as she witnessed the death of Duo's best friend Heero, who was covered in blood. After recollecting her composure, the senshi of destruction and rebirth, held her head up high and gathered all of her strength. In order to affect not just her own planet but the entire solar system, she would have to use everything she had. But would it be enough? 

       Just then Queen Serenity appeared in front of her, "I understand that you had to say goodbye, but now it is time. You must take these ten crystals representing the nine planets and the moon when you use your power. This way, the entire solar system will be destroyed and reborn. Make haste, princess, you have only seconds left."

       Saturn stared at the crystals in her hand briefly before powering up, clutching them tightly in her hand. In a flash of light, she was once again in her princess form, holding her deadly Silence Glaive. 'I'll see you soon my Shinigami.' Spinning the weapon once she yelled, "DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION!" Quickly, she plunged the blade into the ground. Suddenly, there was silence.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

   _    Hotaru pulled away from Duo trembling immensely as a cold sweat washed over her. Slowly she wrapped her arms around herself and began rocking back and forth as she dropped her head._

_       "Oh man.... that was intense,"  the pilot stated, unable to recognize his own voice or breathe for that matter. Taking a glimpse at the girl in front of him, she wasn't doing too much better. Sensing she was on the verge of a panic attack, Duo reached out and grabbed her from behind, pulling Hotaru into his arms. "Shh, it's over now. We're both...well dead or whatever living status we are in, but we're still together."_

_       Duo could feel Hotaru nodded her head underneath his chin, as she seemed to relax a little. "May I suggest we wait awhile before trying again? I had to watch you die and there was so much blood and we could never be together and .."_

_       "Shh, Firefly, we can take as much time as you like. That really shocked me up too. I could actually feel the sword impale me and damn that hurt!" the chestnut brown-haired pilot quietly said. "Tell you what, why don't we do our Sailor Senshi and Gundam Pilot bodies some honor, and attend our funerals. It might be fun!"_

_       The violet-eyed woman giggled at the pilot's idea. "You know Duo, I think you really are demented sometimes, but okay. It might be a very unique experience. After all, how many people can say that they have actually attended their own funeral?"_

_       "That's the spirit!"  Duo smirked as Hotaru snickered before they both became quiet once again. Lost in thoughts of their previously lived life together. Even though that reality had some harsh points to it, they had to agree, there were some nice parts as well._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: That you for all the reviews! Wow, I am so glad that you like my twisted story. I wanted to write something completely unique and I believe that this perfectly qualifies. Bet no one was expecting the twist I threw in. Yes I can be very unpredictable, but it keeps the story interesting. 

If anyone was a little upset over the fact I killed off the Gundam Wing pilots, well, Saturn would have killed them anyway when she destroyed the world. The other Sailor Senshi were not in this because no one associated with Saturn around that time frame. She was basically isolated which is why she was so surprised when Duo wanted to meet her.

And that should clear up any confusion.

Next Chapter out next week. ^_^ 

And so the cycle of death continues...


	5. Sentimental

Dual Fates Part 5

Sentimental

by

Sailor Janus

_       "Come on Duo! You don't want to be late for your own funeral!" Hotaru giggled as she tugged on the cobalt blue-eyed pilot's sleeve, dragging him through the grass to the church. _

_       "Okay! I'm coming Hotaru!" Dup yelled following close behind the girl but suddenly froze as he stared at the church's name. Curiously, the young woman spun around to see exactly what her love was gaping at. "The Duo Maxwell Church." Upon reading the sign, she smiled, wrapping her arm around the deceased pilot and quietly led him inside. _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       _Hotaru and Duo were shocked at what a large assembly had gathered to say goodbye to the cheerful pilot. It was truly incredible to the braided-haired man that so many people actually did care about him. He could feel tears begin to form in his blue eyes as the procession began._

       A tall, graying preacher stood up, silencing the room as he approached the podium. "We are gathered here today to honor the brave and noble pilot, Mr. Duo Maxwell, who gave his own life in preventing what could have the worst massacre this world had seen in years. We would like to send his spirit our love and thanks. Here to say a few words is Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner."

       _Duo began snickering, which Hotaru awarded him with a light slap to his arm.        "Duo!" she practically scolded him._

_       "What?! It's funny! They're making it out like I was a really big hero!" the braided-haired pilot grinned as the girl next to him dropped her head. _

_       "You were a hero. Your death pronounced the sparing of thousands if not millions of lives," she softly spoke, raising her head up to listen to the trembling blonde._

       Quatre glanced solemnly around the large room. He could not believe he was up there, saying goodbye to one of his best friends. It was still incredibly difficult to remember that Duo was dead and would never ever come back. 'I am never going  hear his laugh, or his foolish jokes, or his pity arguments between Wufei and Heero. Nothing is left but silence. Why Duo? Why did you have to die?' Quatre thought while trying to collect himself, the Arabian man looked down at the other three survivors who were trying their hardest to urge their friend to speak. 

       Taking a deep breath, Quatre blinked back his tears, as he addressed the audience in the remembrance of his dear friend. "No one actually knew Duo too well. In fact we do not even know if Duo Maxwell was his real name, but we do know that he died as a hero, sacrificing his life for many. Duo was always a cheerful person with a great sense of humor who could lighten up any situation with a joke or even a simple smirk. We could probably use his help right about now. Many of us can say that we have been honored to be one of his friends, and a great friend to the world, and us he shall be remembered as. We thank you Duo and shall miss you greatly. Excuse me." Quietly, Quatre rushed away from the podium and back to his seat in between Trowa and Lady Une, who consoling the tear some kind-hearted pilot.

_       The room filled with applause as Duo began snickering again, but suddenly stopped when he noticed the tears in his friends' eyes. Shockingly even Heero's Prussian blue eyes were wet. "Wow," he gasped, completely stunned that his best friend was showing emotion.    _

_       "You were quite well liked and will be gravely missed. Even Heero Yuy, the one that rarely shows emotion has shed a tear for you," Hotaru whisper, as she took Duo's hand in her own. She could tell he was feeling completely overwhelmed at the moment, and why should he not be, this was his funeral. _

       "Ahem, would anyone else like to say a few words?" the kindly preacher inquired of the audience. To everyone's surprise, Heero Yuy stood up. 

       "Yes, I would," he said in a monotone, stalking up to the podium, critically looking at the large group of people sitting before him. "Duo Maxwell was a pilot, a soldier, and most importantly, a human being. He fought with all his heart to complete the job no matter what it took to get it done. Duo was probably the most talkative and energetic person I had ever known and will ever have known. With his yard long braid he was always vibrant with life, even in the most dire of situations. Upon first meeting him, he tried to kill me, of course I tried to do the same, but we  had misjudged each other. Soon, I discovered I could regard him as a friend, my first friend. Duo, wherever you are, you'll be missed." 

       Silently, the Perfect Soldier returned to his seat, crossing his arms lightly in front of his chest as he stared at his shoes.  'Duo, I still don't understand why you did it but the world thanks you.'

_       "Whoa, I was not expecting Heero to get behind the podium! That is just surreal! He usually likes to stay in shadows and observe an event such as this," Duo gaped as he watched his best friend practically sulking in his seat. _

_       Hotaru leaned her against the pilot's shoulder. "You're leaving a lot of people behind who truly do care about you. Namely the other pilots. This will not be exactly the easiest to watch my Shinigami. It'll probably only get harder."_

_       Duo nodded as Wufei suddenly took the podium._

       The Chinese man gazed out into the audience for a brief second as he took a deep breath. "Duo Maxwell, what can I say about him?"

       _"Here we go," the cobalt blue-eyed pilot muttered, ready to be insulted in front of a large group of people._

_       "Duo!" the dark-haired young woman next to him hissed, trying to silence him before he missed what was about to be said._

       "Except, whether he believed me or not, that I respected him. Duo was the type of person who, no matter how irritating he maybe at times, was filled with good intentions. He was the laughter and inner child to our small blood-tainted group, something that the four of us, Heero, Trowa, Quatre, and myself could never achieve. All five of us had witnessed events take place, which have left internal scars in our souls, but Duo never seemed to allow them to control his life. He always marched around with a smile on his face, ready for anything. Duo, thank you for being one of us. It's a shame you were the one to surrender your life, so others may go on." With a small bow of his head, Wufei departed from the podium returning to his seat in between Heero and Sally Po.

       _Duo blinked in shock. '"Did Wu-man just say he respected me? Oh man, this is tougher than I thought."_

_       "As I said, you impacted many lives, especially your comrades," Hotaru nodded, gently brushing her hand across the braided-haired man's face as they watched Trowa Barton walk behind the podium._

       The green-eyed pilot shut his eyes for a brief moment trying to contemplate what exactly to say. Finally he knew. "Duo Maxwell was one of four of my best friends. The five of us together had formed a special union, almost like a family. Each of us had our own unique personality and Duo's was probably the brightest of the five, and the most irreplaceable as well. He had a thirst for life, and walked upon the earth acting as if he had not a care in the world. The day he died, I will never forget. We were preparing for the worst but Duo was fearless, taking his mission in stride as he ended his life to save ours. We'll be eternally grateful to you Duo. Thank you." Quietly, Trowa left for his seat next to Quatre and Heero, closing his eyes once he was seated. 

_       Duo did not even know what to say. What seemed like a big joke was saddening him instead. 'This was supposed to be fun not depressing. Oh man was this ever a bad idea!'  he thought, glancing at his mournful friends sitting in the front row. "Hotaru, let's just go. This is way too much for me to handle right now," he found himself mumbled to the girl who nodding, obliging to his request. _

_       "Yes, I agree it's time to go. My funeral will begin in a few minutes anyway," she softly said as they walked out of the church with one last look at the surviving pilots. _

_       "Wait! You still want to go to yours?! Are you sure?!" the chestnut brown-haired man abruptly said, staring at the girl who turned to face him. _

_       "I am sure. I would like to hear what my friends and family have to say to me. I owe them that much," Hotaru answered as she began walking again. _

       With a shrug, Duo threw his arms behind his head, and followed the young woman. "Whatever you say, Firefly. Here I thought going back to our past lives was rough!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       _Hotaru and Duo found themselves outdoors once again, except cherry blossom petals spread out on the ground surrounded them. Apparently they must have decided to have Hotaru's funeral outdoors._

_       The dark-haired girl was amazed at how many people showed up. It was not nearly as big as Duo's but it was quaint and comfortable, mainly attended by the Sailor Senshi. Hotaru never did care for big elaborate events anyway. Pleasantly, she could feel the cobalt blue-eyed pilot wrapping his arms around her protectively. She realized that he was trying to shield her from the pain she was about to experience, but calmly, Hotaru was willing to accept it with open arms. _

_       Unfortunately the ceremony had already begun before the couple had arrived,  since they got a little lost in the dimensional pathways, but they didn't miss too much.       _

       Setsuna stood calmly in front of the small crowd, looking very melancholy as she spoke. "Hotaru Tomoe was like a daughter to me. She was always filled with an air to her that made you feel alive, no matter what the circumstances were. Although she was young, Hotaru was very strong and resistant in achieving her goals. She was a very thoughtful young woman who never wanted to do anyone harm, even if it meant a sacrifice on her behalf. Hotaru, my dear, you will remain in our thoughts and our hearts. We shall hold your memory within ourselves always and forever." Suddenly, the dark-haired woman briefly smiled, as if she knew of the girl's attendance. 

       _"Setsuna-mama," the young woman murmured with a tiny smile as tear drops slipped from her violet eyes. "I miss you too."_

_       Duo's arms remained securely wrapped around Hotaru's fragile form, as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm still here."_

       Slowly Haruka and Michiru together approached the podium. The aqua-haired woman however was sobbing uncontrollably but insisted on saying a few words.

       Taking a deep breath, the shaky woman lightly smiled to the small crowd. "Hotaru Tomoe... was also like a daughter to me. It was a pleasure watching her grow and mature from an adorable child to a beautiful young woman. It was very unfortunate that her life was cut so short. There was so much more living she could have done, but regardless, she still lived her life to the fullest, even when the moments were not the best. She was truly brave and intelligent and we'll miss her.....Excuse me." Covering her mouth as she trembled, Michiru tried to gain control of her emotion and her tears, but it was no use. Quietly she retreated to one of the seats in the front.     

       _Sniffling Hotaru whispered, "Michiru-mama I miss you too. Very much. Please don't cry for me."_

_       "Shhhh," Duo said soothingly into the girl's ear as he slow rocked her side to side, still holding Hotaru tightly. "We can go whenever you feel you're ready. We don't have to stay through the whole thing."_

       Haruka bowed her head before beginning her own speech. "Hotaru Tomoe was a breeze of fresh air to me She was young, full of life and energy, and always knew what was expected of her no questions asked. If any of us could have wished for a child, then Hotaru was the best that could have ever been offered. Through good times and bad, she held her head high. If only there were someway to bring her back. But forever, she'll stay in our hearts. We miss you very much Hotaru."       

       _Hotaru smiled briefly as the blonde returned to her seat. "You'll stay in my heart too Haruka." _

       Ami soon took the podium, "On behalf of Rei, Usagi, Minako, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, Makoto, and myself, we would like to say a few words as well. Ahem, Hotaru was as fragile of glass but more precious, her spirit as bright as the sun. The day she died seemed to be darkest day in history. We only wish we could take back that day so she would still be with us. Even though we know that is not possible, we do know she did not die in vane. We can only that wherever she is, that she is happy. Hotaru, we miss you gravely and hope your soul rests in peace."

       _The dark-haired girl closed her eyes as she leaned back against her Shinigami. "So many people cared about me. I knew they cared, but to hear them say it and cry over my lifelessness, is too much..... Duo can we go now, I believe I've heard what I needed to hear. After all this is my second funeral."_

_       The cobalt blue-eyed pilot nodded as he released the young woman. He knew exactly what she meant by the second funeral. The first had been her father, Professor Souchi Tomoe. He had died of a brain aneurysm, but she knew better. Since they were supposed to have perished in the lab accident. Once he was no longer possessed by the daimon, his body slowly gave out. _

_       Quietly, Duo and Hotaru left the funeral. Both felt slightly more at peace than they had previously did. Upon returning to the grassy yard where they always found each other, they discovered it was raining. _

_       The violet-eyed girl bowed her head slightly when she realized an important fact once again. "Wait. We aren't dead remember? In that life we were but this one, we are still alive. Just in some sort of trance or dream world."_

_       "Right. I keep forgetting about that," the braided haired man admitted. "So now what? Should we try accessing another life?"_

_       Hotaru thought for a moment before answering, "Yes, we need to solve this mystery as soon as possible, before something happens in our present life." _

_       Duo held out his hand to Hotaru gazing deeply into her violet eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this again so soon?" _

_       The dark-haired girl rose her gaze to his blue eyes as she slowly joined her hands with his, "I am sure. Ready?"_

*~*~*~*  

Author's Notes: Apologies on this taking so long but this chapter was so hard to write. I had to reach so deeply within myself and the characters that you wouldn't believe it. I was literally in tears a several points.

Updates are not going to be as sporadic as they used to be for about a month b/c I'm going on vacation to visit my mom and will have to share a computer. I'll try to update once every two weeks if possible. Sorry for the inconvenience, which is also why I did not leave it at a cliffhanger.

Um, that's like all I can think of so until then.

_Another Life, another death..._


	6. Magic and Betrayal

Dual Fates Part 6

Dual Fates Part 6

Magic and Betrayal

by

Sailor Janus

"_Ready?" Hotaru inquired as she and Duo joined hands, their eyes locking as well._

_ _

_Silently the pilot nodded. Soon reality began to dissolve, propelling the two young people into another life._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Slowly, the young dark-haired woman awoke. Dazedly her soft violet eyes fell open upon the window as the intense sun shone brightly across her small face, greeting the girl with its presence.

Peacefully, Halia rose from her soft bed. It was yet another task filled day for the young mage.

Since her father had died of an unfortunate illness several months back and her mother had long since left the earth, Halia found herself forced to manage the small cottage alone.

Luckily, the violet-eyed girl possessed several tactful abilities which proved worthy enough to allow the girl to survive, mainly sewing clothing using her loom, but was quite profitable in the skill, producing some of the most elaborate and well-made clothing known to the small city of Carnelian. 

Another ability which was still regarded among one of the most highly controversial, was her magery. The power to cast magic did leave some townsfolk weary of mages and alchemists, however, they were still accepted into the city as much as a common blacksmith or baker. 

"Another day, another chore," Halia sighed, fetching her freshly lain out clothing before quickly changing from soft yet, well-worn nightgown to a common purple dress with a long skirt that barely grazed her ankles. 

Today the mage was in dire need of delivering several articles of clothing to her vendors and then refill her supplies, whether they be wool or cotton for clothing or reagents, special herbs used to cast spells.

After weaving a few braids through her long dark hair, Halia threw on her deep violet cloak and quickly grabbed her leather reagent bag, and a smaller coin purse.

Swiftly, she snatched a few fresh apples and placed them in the reagent bag before heading out the door, locking it firmly behind her. Spinning around, the young mage walked to the small stable to retrieve her horse. 

*~*~*~*

"Lady Halia, good day to you," the dark green-haired woman greeted the violet eyed-girl.

Halia had always enjoyed the woman's company. Sonia always appeared wiser than her age indicated. In fact, she had taken charge of the stable only a few months ago, but needless to say, the green-eyed woman knew very well how to run the place.

"Hello Sonia. How is this morning treating you?" the dark-haired mage inquired as she was led to her horse's stall.

"Quite well, my lady. Going to town again?" Sonia asked as she unlocked the paddock door to Halia's horse, Firefly.

With a smile, Halia stroked the black horse's mane as she fed her an apple. "Yes. I must refill my supplies as well as take more clothing to my vendors." With a sigh, she dropped her eyes to the ground. "If only my father were still alive, then perhaps things would not be so difficult."

"I apologize for your loss, Halia, but take faith. You are doing quite well for a young woman of your age," Sonia said as she bowed her head in respect.

With a nod, the young mage mounted her horse. "I know and I thank you for understanding. Fair you well," Halia cried out as she rode away with a wave of her hand.

Sonia sighed, watching the girl ride off. "I wish I could pronounce the same for you child, but in the next few days, you shall meet a dire fate. At least you won't be alone."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Halia had ridden a short distance away before deciding to cast a spell into town instead. There was too much risk in riding through the woods alone. Lately the murder count was on an increase and no matter how powerful the young mage may be, she knew it was foolish to attempt to enter the forest which was often frequented by thieves, murderers and monsters alike.

"Well Firefly shall we?" the violet-eyed young woman questioned her horse which nodded its head in return. "Very well then," Halia spoke, opening her reagent bag and pulled out a black pearl, mandrake root, and blood moss. Tossing each reagent to the ground the mage called out, "Kal Ort Por!" 

Suddenly, in a flash of light, the girl and her horse disappeared only to reappear in the town of Carnelian.

With a small smile of victory, Halia spun around on her horse and nearly ran into a guard!

"Whoa! Watch where you are going!" the chestnut brown-haired guard shouted, looking at the girl in shock. 'How did she do that.'

"Oh dear! I apologize! I- I'm so sorry!" Halia rambled, blushing a crimson shade as she dropped her head in embarrassment. "Please don't punish me! I did nothing wrong!" I'm just a simple mage who was left orphaned by her mother and father. I didn't mean to scare you."

Dane blinked as he stared at the young woman with his deep cobalt blue eyes with curiosity. "What is a mage?"

Frowning, Halia lifted her head, peering at the guard's face with wonder. "You are a guard yet acquire no knowledge pertaining to what a mage is?"

"Actually, I'm new. My friends Hollis and Trey found me this job," the chestnut brown haired man admitted with a sheepish grin. "So what is a mage if you do not mind my prying?"

The dark-haired girl smiled slightly, nodding her head. "A mage is a person who possess the power to cast magical spells using raw materials such as spider's silk and sulphurous ash, along with a few words."

"Really? So what does that combination create?" Dane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nightsight. It enables the subject of your choosing to see in the dark. Quite more beneficial than one might believe it to be," Halia simply spoke, finding herself unable to take her eyes off the guard for too long.

Blinking, Dane snickered at the girl. "Sounds like a very special skill you have there my lady, uh..."

"Halia," the young woman pronounced with a smile. "What may I call you Good Lord, since you have acquired my name?"

"They call me Dane," the guard smirked causing the mage to lightly giggle. "Uh, anyway, I need to get back to work. Never know when I'm gonna need to break a fight or kill something," Dane mumbled, after taking one glance at his best friend's relentless glare.

"Yes, and I must refill my supplies as well as restock my vendors. No rest for the weary I guess," the violet-eyed made sighed as Firefly backed up a bit. "It was lovely meeting you, my lord."

Bowing his head slightly, Dane agreed, "It was a pleasure as well, to meet you my fair lady Halia. Can I expect to see you again?"

The mage blinked at the question in shock. "You- you want to see me again?" the young woman stammered. 'Surely, he cannot be serious. I'm a mage, and he's a guard. That's just completely curious. After all, it's his kind that punishes those such as myself.'

Grinning, the man nodded before taking the girl's hand, kissing it gently. "Very much. You are so different compared to all the other girls I have met. It's like you see the world in a different way."

"Thank you, my Lord," Halia bowed her head, "I am quite flattered by your words, but your fellow guard has been glaring quite coolly at you," the young woman whispered, indicting the direction where Hollis was appearing very cross at his friend. 

"Eep! I got to go! Will you be here tomorrow?" Dane quickly, said, as he began backing slightly up.

"Ye- yes I will. I practically come everyday," the violet-eyed mage answered as the guard began reluctantly backing away.

Dane instead grinned yelling over his shoulder as he ran off, "Good! I'll see you then!"

Blinking, Halia gave a small hand wave, as she watched the young guard race off towards his friend who was acting rather cold, quietly the two men returned to their stations.

With a sigh, the girl returned back to her duties, unknowing as to the fortune and misfortune which would soon affect her life gravely.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been several since Dane and Halia first met, but was not the last. Even though it was quite difficult to talk to the guard because of his endless duties of keeping the townsfolk out of danger, the cobalt blue-eyed man always tried to make time. 

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. The young mage only wished she knew why everything had to end this way.

The day seemed like any other. Halia arrived at Carnelian by teleport as she always had, and Dane cheerily, marched up to greet her, often times, escorting her around town.

Soon they had to depart, once again, except time, reality would be different.

After Halia had finished purchasing more reagents, for her spells, she happily left the shop, and departed for the nearest vacant street of the town to teleport from. However, this was a terrible calculated error, for at the same moment, an evil mage Berlynn had cast a flame strike upon a peasant girl whom must have angered her before teleporting out.

Stunned, the young mage stared at the scorched corpse with horror. At the same exact moment, another peasant appeared and screamed.

"GUARDS! MURDER!" Kay screamed at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately for Halia, the redhead despised the mage with a vengeance. 

Quickly, several guards appeared, Dane and his friends Hollis and Trey were among them. 

"What is the problem my lady?" Hollis asked in a monotone voice, his Prussian blue eyes remaining icy cold. 

"Arrest that woman! She committed murder on Lady Selene! I witnessed it with my own eyes! Murderer!" the fiery redhead reported with venom dripping off of her very words.

"What?! She lies! I was in search of a place to teleport! I would never take another life!" Halia exclaimed, outraged over the fact that Kay was trying to frame her for a murder that the mage in her right mind would never dream of committing. 

The black-eyed woman instead shook her head, "Liar! You cannot hide behind the guards you criminal. You deserve to die for taking Selene's life away from her!"

Dane stared at the woman he loved in disbelief her his cobalt blue eyes. He may be a guard, but there was no guarantee, he could actually protect Halia. The woman known as Kay already had much influence over the town being the mayor's daughter and all.

Frustrated, the dark-haired mage shook her head, "I did no such thing! Why would I want to take Selene's life away from her to begin with?! It's just absurd!" Quickly, she turned to the guards with pleading eyes. "Please, I did not kill Lady Selene. I swear! You must have faith in me! It is her word against mine!"

Trey glanced defeatedly to the ground. From the description of the young mage reported by Dane, she seemed innocent. Unfortunately, they were in a very difficult situation since Kay had a great amount of influence of the town through her father which with one word, could have himself and his friends executed for committing treason by simply naming Halia as innocent. They only had one choice which would save anyone's blood from spilling. 

The chestnut brown-haired man knew exactly what his friends were thinking, which was the only way possible to save Halia and themselves as well. Unfortunately, it was not what any of them wanted. Solemnly, he bowed his head after taking another look at the dark brown-haired guard. 

"We have no choice. Lady Halia of Talam, you are convicted for the murder of Lady Selene of Tukin. We here by banish you from Carnelian. If you are sighted on the premises, then you shall be executed immediately," Hollis clearly spoke as Kay gleefully smirked.

Nodding the tall green-eyed guard softly said as Hollis took the woman's reigns out of her grasp as Hollis pulled her down, "Halia, please come with us and we will escort you out of town."

The violet-eyed girl was at a complete loss for words. 'Banned from the town?! How can this be possible?!' she thought with a simple head nod. 

The entire ride out of Carnelian, Dane avoided Halia's eyes. He knew she felt betrayed but they had no choice. 

Silently, Hollis nodded for Trey to follow him back into the city. "We'll give you five minutes then you have to return to duty Dane."

Mutely, the cobalt blue-eyed guard glanced at his departing friends and then at the girl whose violet eyes were now brimming with fresh tears. "Halia."

"Go away. I never want to see you again," she bitterly said, keeping her back turned to the man. "You betrayed me. I thought you liked me."

"Halia, I do," Dane mumbled when suddenly the young woman jerked her head around. 

"Ha! You believed Kay instead of myself and didn't say a damn thing! Instead now I have been convicted of a crime that I didn't even commit! It was Berlynn that murderer Selene! I DIDN'T DO IT!" the dark-haired girl who was filled with frustration shouted. 

Biting his lip, the guard finally said, "We had no choice. If we had argued with Kay, then our heads would have rolled. Banishing you from the town was the only way possible to save everyone's life. We hated doing it, but had to. Please forgive me."

Gently, Dane lifted Halia's head, and pressed his mouth softly against hers. Unknowingly, the young mage found herself, wrapping her arms around the man's neck as the kiss intensified before they broke away. 

Sadly, they gazed into each other's eyes as the guard slowly walked back into town, leaving the girl alone with her horse. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Duo, blinked, and grimaced slightly as Hotaru dropped her eyes towards the ground. "I really hated that part."_

_ _

_"Yeah, and the fact that Kay ruined everything almost destroyed the entire town._

_Need a breather before we live through the final chapter of that life?" Hotaru inquired taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out. _

_ _

_Frowning, the cobalt blue-eyed glanced at the girl. "Wait. This isn't the one I think it is, is it?The extremely messy one."_

_ _

_"I'm afraid so. Be glad we weren't the ones left to clean up the mess," Hotaru snickered. _

_ _

_"Joy."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: I am so sorry that this is so late, but I was on vacation and the program didn't match with the computer I was using so I forced to write everything by hand. Then I got a bad case of jet lag and sprained my wrist making typing, very interesting. But I'm back now so yay!

Okay, questions with the names? I decided to change everyone's names for certain lives but I will always describe them a bit and the first letter of their name will be the same.

Halia is Hotaru. No idea where I came up with this one. It sounds pretty.

Dane is Duo. It sounded Medevialish

Hollis is Heero. Before I get anyone saying that they hate the name, Hollis means Hero.Yep I did a name pun.

Trey is Trowa. Trey means three in Latin 

Sonia is Setsuna aka Pluto. Her name means wisdom

Kay is Kaorinite. She didn't like Hotaru so I figured, why not

Berlynn is Queen Beryl She's evil. Enough said.

Selene is Serenity I just threw that in for grins. 

Um, that's about it so thank you for the reviews and oh! I don't own Ultimate Online. That is what gave me inspiration for the story.


	7. Protectors

Dual Fates Part 6

Magic and Betrayal

by

Sailor Janus

       "_Ready?" Hotaru inquired as she and Duo joined hands, their eyes locking as well._

_       Silently the pilot nodded. Soon reality began to dissolve, propelling the two young people into another life._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Slowly, the young dark-haired woman awoke. Dazedly her soft violet eyes fell open upon the window as the intense sun shone brightly across her small face, greeting the girl with its presence.

       Peacefully, Halia rose from her soft bed. It was yet another task filled day for the young mage.

       Since her father had died of an unfortunate illness several months back and her mother had long since left the earth, Halia found herself forced to manage the small cottage alone.

       Luckily, the violet-eyed girl possessed several tactful abilities which proved worthy enough to allow the girl to survive, mainly sewing clothing using her loom, but was quite profitable in the skill, producing some of the most elaborate and well-made clothing known to the small city of Carnelian. 

       Another ability which was still regarded among one of the most highly controversial, was her magery. The power to cast magic did leave some townsfolk weary of mages and alchemists, however, they were still accepted into the city as much as a common blacksmith or baker. 

       "Another day, another chore," Halia sighed, fetching her freshly lain out clothing before quickly changing from soft yet, well-worn nightgown to a common purple dress with a long skirt that barely grazed her ankles. 

       Today the mage was in dire need of delivering several articles of clothing to her vendors and then refill her supplies, whether they be wool or cotton for clothing or reagents, special herbs used to cast spells.

       After weaving a few braids through her long dark hair, Halia threw on her deep violet cloak and quickly grabbed her leather reagent bag, and a smaller coin purse.

       Swiftly, she snatched a few fresh apples and placed them in the reagent bag before heading out the door, locking it firmly behind her. Spinning around, the young mage walked to the small stable to retrieve her horse. 

*~*~*~*

       "Lady Halia, good day to you," the dark green-haired woman greeted the violet eyed-girl.

       Halia had always enjoyed the woman's company. Sonia always appeared wiser than her age indicated. In fact, she had taken charge of the stable only a few months ago, but needless to say, the green-eyed woman knew very well how to run the place.

       "Hello Sonia. How is this morning treating you?" the dark-haired mage inquired as she was led to her horse's stall.

       "Quite well, my lady. Going to town again?" Sonia asked as she unlocked the paddock door to Halia's horse, Firefly.

       With a smile, Halia stroked the black horse's mane as she fed her an apple. "Yes. I must refill my supplies as well as take more clothing to my vendors." With a sigh, she dropped her eyes to the ground. "If only my father were still alive, then perhaps things would not be so difficult."

       "I apologize for your loss, Halia, but take faith. You are doing quite well for a young woman of your age," Sonia said as she bowed her head in respect.

       With a nod, the young mage mounted her horse. "I know and I thank you for understanding. Fair you well," Halia cried out as she rode away with a wave of her hand.

       Sonia sighed, watching the girl ride off. "I wish I could pronounce the same for you child, but in the next few days, you shall meet a dire fate. At least you won't be alone."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Halia had ridden a short distance away before deciding to cast a spell into town instead. There was too much risk in riding through the woods alone. Lately the murder count was on an increase and no matter how powerful the young mage may be, she knew it was foolish to attempt to enter the forest which was often frequented by thieves, murderers and monsters alike.

       "Well Firefly shall we?" the violet-eyed young woman questioned her horse which nodded its head in return. "Very well then," Halia spoke, opening her reagent bag and pulled out a black pearl, mandrake root, and blood moss. Tossing each reagent to the ground the mage called out, "Kal Ort Por!" 

       Suddenly, in a flash of light, the girl and her horse disappeared only to reappear in the town of Carnelian.

       With a small smile of victory, Halia spun around on her horse and nearly ran into a guard!

       "Whoa! Watch where you are going!" the chestnut brown-haired guard shouted, looking at the girl in shock. 'How did she do that.'

       "Oh dear! I apologize! I- I'm so sorry!" Halia rambled, blushing a crimson shade as she dropped her head in embarrassment. "Please don't punish me! I did nothing wrong!" I'm just a simple mage who was left orphaned by her mother and father. I didn't mean to scare you."

       Dane blinked as he stared at the young woman with his deep cobalt blue eyes with curiosity. "What is a mage?"

       Frowning, Halia lifted her head, peering at the guard's face with wonder. "You are a guard yet acquire no knowledge pertaining to what a mage is?"

       "Actually, I'm new. My friends Hollis and Trey found me this job," the chestnut brown haired man admitted with a sheepish grin. "So what is a mage if you do not mind my prying?"

       The dark-haired girl smiled slightly, nodding her head. "A mage is a person who possess the power to cast magical spells using raw materials such as spider's silk and sulphurous ash, along with a few words."

       "Really? So what does that combination create?" Dane asked, raising an eyebrow.

       "Nightsight. It enables the subject of your choosing to see in the dark. Quite more beneficial than one might believe it to be," Halia simply spoke, finding herself unable to take her eyes off the guard for too long.

       Blinking, Dane snickered at the girl. "Sounds like a very special skill you have there my lady, uh..."

       "Halia," the young woman pronounced with a smile. "What may I call you Good Lord, since you have acquired my name?"

       "They call me Dane," the guard smirked causing the mage to lightly giggle. "Uh, anyway, I need to get back to work. Never know when I'm gonna need to break a fight or kill something," Dane mumbled, after taking one glance at his best friend's relentless glare.

       "Yes, and I must refill my supplies as well as restock my vendors. No rest for the weary I guess," the violet-eyed made sighed as Firefly backed up a bit. "It was lovely meeting you, my lord."

       Bowing his head slightly, Dane agreed, "It was a pleasure as well, to meet you my fair lady Halia. Can I expect to see you again?"

       The mage blinked at the question in shock. "You- you want to see me again?" the young woman stammered. 'Surely, he cannot be serious. I'm a mage, and he's a guard. That's just completely curious. After all, it's his kind that punishes those such as myself.'

       Grinning, the man nodded before taking the girl's hand, kissing it gently. "Very much. You are so different compared to all the other girls I have met. It's like you see the world in a different way."

       "Thank you, my Lord," Halia bowed her head, "I am quite flattered by your words, but your fellow guard has been glaring quite coolly at you," the young woman whispered, indicting the direction where Hollis was appearing very cross at his friend. 

       "Eep! I got to go! Will you be here tomorrow?" Dane quickly, said, as he began backing slightly up.

       "Ye- yes I will. I practically come everyday," the violet-eyed mage answered as the guard began reluctantly backing away.

       Dane instead grinned yelling over his shoulder as he ran off, "Good! I'll see you then!"

       Blinking, Halia gave a small hand wave, as she watched the young guard race off towards his friend who was acting rather cold, quietly the two men returned to their stations.

       With a sigh, the girl returned back to her duties, unknowing as to the fortune and misfortune which would soon affect her life gravely.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       It had been several since Dane and Halia first met, but was not the last. Even though it was quite difficult to talk to the guard because of his endless duties of keeping the townsfolk out of danger, the cobalt blue-eyed man always tried to make time. 

       Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. The young mage only wished she knew why everything had to end this way.

       The day seemed like any other. Halia arrived at Carnelian by teleport as she always had, and Dane cheerily, marched up to greet her, often times, escorting her around town.

       Soon they had to depart, once again, except time, reality would be different.

       After Halia had finished purchasing more reagents, for her spells, she happily left the shop, and departed for the nearest vacant street of the town to teleport from. However, this was a terrible calculated error, for at the same moment, an evil mage Berlynn had cast a flame strike upon a peasant girl whom must have angered her before teleporting out.

       Stunned, the young mage stared at the scorched corpse with horror. At the same exact moment, another peasant appeared and screamed.

       "GUARDS! MURDER!" Kay screamed at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately for Halia, the redhead despised the mage with a vengeance. 

       Quickly, several guards appeared, Dane and his friends Hollis and Trey were among them. 

       "What is the problem my lady?" Hollis asked in a monotone voice, his Prussian blue eyes remaining icy cold. 

       "Arrest that woman! She committed murder on Lady Selene! I witnessed it with my own eyes! Murderer!" the fiery redhead reported with venom dripping off of her very words.

       "What?! She lies! I was in search of a place to teleport! I would never take another life!" Halia exclaimed, outraged over the fact that Kay was trying to frame her for a murder that the mage in her right mind would never dream of committing. 

       The black-eyed woman instead shook her head, "Liar! You cannot hide behind the guards you criminal. You deserve to die for taking Selene's life away from her!"

       Dane stared at the woman he loved in disbelief her his cobalt blue eyes. He may be a guard, but there was no guarantee, he could actually protect Halia. The woman known as Kay already had much influence over the town being the mayor's daughter and all.

       Frustrated, the dark-haired mage shook her head, "I did no such thing! Why would I want to take Selene's life away from her to begin with?! It's just absurd!" Quickly, she turned to the guards with pleading eyes. "Please, I did not kill Lady Selene. I swear! You must have faith in me! It is her word against mine!"

       Trey glanced defeatedly to the ground. From the description of the young mage reported by Dane, she seemed innocent. Unfortunately, they were in a very difficult situation since Kay had a great amount of influence of the town through her father which with one word, could have himself and his friends executed for committing treason by simply naming Halia as innocent. They only had one choice which would save anyone's blood from spilling. 

       The chestnut brown-haired man knew exactly what his friends were thinking, which was the only way possible to save Halia and themselves as well. Unfortunately, it was not what any of them wanted. Solemnly, he bowed his head after taking another look at the dark brown-haired guard. 

       "We have no choice. Lady Halia of Talam, you are convicted for the murder of Lady Selene of Tukin. We here by banish you from Carnelian. If you are sighted on the premises, then you shall be executed immediately," Hollis clearly spoke as Kay gleefully smirked.

       Nodding the tall green-eyed guard softly said as Hollis took the woman's reigns out of her grasp as Hollis pulled her down, "Halia, please come with us and we will escort you out of town."  

       The violet-eyed girl was at a complete loss for words. 'Banned from the town?! How can this be possible?!' she thought with a simple head nod. 

       The entire ride out of Carnelian, Dane avoided Halia's eyes. He knew she felt betrayed but they had no choice. 

       Silently, Hollis nodded for Trey to follow him back into the city. "We'll give you five minutes then you have to return to duty Dane."

       Mutely, the cobalt blue-eyed guard glanced at his departing friends and then at the girl whose violet eyes were now brimming with fresh tears. "Halia."

       "Go away. I never want to see you again," she bitterly said, keeping her back turned to the man. "You betrayed me. I thought you liked me."

       "Halia, I do," Dane mumbled when suddenly the young woman jerked her head around. 

       "Ha! You believed Kay instead of myself and didn't say a damn thing! Instead now I have been convicted of a crime that I didn't even commit! It was Berlynn that murderer Selene! I DIDN'T DO IT!" the dark-haired girl who was filled with frustration shouted. 

       Biting his lip, the guard finally said, "We had no choice. If we had argued with Kay, then our heads would have rolled. Banishing you from the town was the only way possible to save everyone's life. We hated doing it, but had to. Please forgive me."

       Gently, Dane lifted Halia's head, and pressed his mouth softly against hers. Unknowingly, the young mage found herself, wrapping her arms around the man's neck as the kiss intensified before they broke away. 

       Sadly, they gazed into each other's eyes as the guard slowly walked back into town, leaving the girl alone with her horse. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       Duo, blinked, and grimaced slightly as Hotaru dropped her eyes towards the ground. "I really hated that part."_

_       "Yeah, and the fact that Kay ruined everything almost destroyed the entire town.    _

_Need a breather before we live through the final chapter of that life?" Hotaru inquired taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out. _

_       Frowning, the cobalt blue-eyed glanced at the girl. "Wait. This isn't the one I think it is, is it?  The extremely messy one."_

_       "I'm afraid so. Be glad we weren't the ones left to clean up the mess," Hotaru snickered. _

_       "Joy."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: I am so sorry that this is so late, but I was on vacation and the program didn't match with the computer I was using so I forced to write everything by hand. Then I got a bad case of jet lag and sprained my wrist making typing, very interesting. But I'm back now so yay!

Okay, questions with the names? I decided to change everyone's names for certain lives but I will always describe them a bit and the first letter of their name will be the same.

Halia is Hotaru. No idea where I came up with this one. It sounds pretty.

Dane is Duo. It sounded Medevialish

Hollis is Heero. Before I get anyone saying that they hate the name, Hollis means Hero.  Yep I did a name pun.

Trey is Trowa. Trey means three in Latin 

Sonia is Setsuna aka Pluto. Her name means wisdom

Kay is Kaorinite. She didn't like Hotaru so I figured, why not

Berlynn is Queen Beryl She's evil. Enough said.

Selene is Serenity I just threw that in for grins. 

Um, that's about it so thank you for the reviews and oh! I don't own Ultimate Online. That is what gave me inspiration for the story.


	8. For Eternity

Dual Fates Part 7

Protectors

by

Sailor Janus

       _Duo sighed heavily, unable to believe that this was one of his worst deaths and he was about to relieve it all over again. Could life get any better than this?_

_       Nervously, Hotaru bit her lip, thinking the same exact thing. 'Well, if we want to find out what happened to our present selves and why we are in this strange dream-like world, we better continue.' _

_       Glancing up, they both determined, it was time to return.  _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       It had been several months since Halia's banishment from the town of Carnelian.  Luckily for the girl, her small cottage was located outside of town otherwise she'd be forced to find shelter elsewhere. 

       Unfortunately, this still did not benefit the young mage in any form. She was quickly going broke and sadly, had to sell her beloved horse, Firefly in order to keep herself and her loyal friend from starvation. Halia was pleased that Sonia had offered to purchase the friendly creature. She knew Firefly would be treated well in the hands of the kind garnet-eyed woman. 

       No matter how hard the dark-haired girl tried, she remained melancholy. It was odd how one simple minute, could change a life forever and how fickle reality is really is with its constant alterations. One minute everything seems so perfect, like a fairy tale, and suddenly, something changes and the web of perfection is broken. 

       Often times, Halia found herself thinking about Dane, despite how often she tried not to, he always appeared in her mind. "Did he really betray me, or was he just following his duty?' she questioned herself, staring out at the sky awaiting the coming of night. 

       Suddenly, the young woman was struck with a vision of immense strength,  forcing her to the dusty wood floor of her almost bare cottage. 

       With a gasp, Halia caught herself with her hands, as the bright violet of her eyes filled with darkness. Once it ceased, the girl found herself very shaken, and drenched in sweat. She had never experienced a premonition of that magnitude before, which only meant one thing. The terror she had just foresighted, is true.

       "I have to go warn them despite the fact I have been banned from the town. I must prevent that massacre!" the mage said to herself, as she reached for her cloak and reagent bag before leaving the familiar cottage through the front door. She knew there was only one person that would actually listen to her, and the fact that she saw his death, did not make the situation any simpler. Halia still had a sense of duty otherwise she would not have had the vision. 

       Taking a deep breath, the young dark-haired woman reached into the bag and pulled out some blood moss, mandrake root, and spider's silk. "Vas Ylem Rel!" Quickly she sprinkled it over her head, polymorphing into a sparrow. 

       Swiftly, the tiny bird took off into flight, for it's destination to Carnelian.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Dane stood staring at the sky. It would soon be night, not that there was actually anything to look forward to. Life seemed to be yet another chore with no expectations of any kind. 

       He hated Kay, the little wench with a passion for framing Halia with murder. His pretty little mage would never hurt a soul. Sure she admitted to fighting daemons and other evil creatures, but they did not possess a soul not to mention by destroying them, she had actually spared more lives. 

       Heavily, the chestnut brown-haired man leaned against the wall, watching as the townsfolk came and went. He didn't care if he appeared unprofessional, unlike his friends Trey and Hollis who always had a stern look on their faces. Many actually were very nervous around his Prussian blue-eyed friend, and even one glance from Hollis sent them scurrying away. It was actually quite amusing to watch. 

       Lazily, Dane glanced at the ground, only to find a small sparrow land at his feet.  Happily, the tiny bird chirped as if it were pleased to see the guard. 

       Curiously, the cobalt blue-eyed man bent down and peered at the sparrow which hopped right up to him. 'Odd. What do you want little fella?' he thought, holding his hand out to the bird which surprisingly flew into his palm causing the guard to blink in shock. 

       Just then, the bird flew off, into an abandoned shop. 

       "Weird. I wonder-" Dane said to himself when he was suddenly interrupted by someone calling out to him from the very store the bird flew in. 

       "Psst. Dane!" 

       "What?" he cried out, cautiously, heading the direction of the voice, only to find himself face to face with Halia.

       The guard's jaw dropped in amazement of seeing the girl's face in what felt like years. "Halia," Dane whispered, enveloping her into his strong arms, before bring his mouth to her own in a passionate kiss, which she generously returned.  "I thought I'd never see you again! Why are you here?! If anyone catches sight of you, you'll be executed."

       Holding onto her love tightly she murmured, "I turned myself into a sparrow. I have some unfortunate news."

       "Wait, so that sparrow was you?" the chestnut brown-haired man inquired with a tone of amazement in his voice as the girl nodded.

       "What is that scoundrel doing here?! Dane, do you have a death wish?" Hollis coolly said as he entered the shop, freezing at the sight of his best friend and the convicted felon. 

       "Hollis! Halia, is innocent! She didn't murder Lady Selene and you should know that," the cobalt blue-eyed guard argued helplessly with the stoic man.

       Quietly, the brown-haired guard glanced at the mage who pulled away from Dane. "Maybe so, but she has been convicted. If you are caught with her, you'll be executed for treason."

       Drawing a deep breath, Halia quietly said, "I only came to warn you of the danger which shall approach tonight at midnight. A terror like no other this city has ever witnessed. An invasion of orcs shall destroy Carnelian, and the people along with it." 

       "How would you know?" Hollis glared not knowing whether to trust the girl or not. 

       "I have visions, and an unusually strong one came to me today. Everyone will die if we do not defend this place," the girl calmly spoke. 

       "How do we prevent it?" Trey asked, joining the group. He had been quietly listening outside the door, to make sure no one would disturb them.

       Sadly, Halia dropped her eyes, "We cannot. We can only duel with them and I'm willing to offer my aid."

       "A small woman, help us?" Hollis abruptly said in disbelief as he crossed his arms.

       The girl frowned slightly. "A woman that is an expert mage. Please trust me. You will need my help and I am willing to give up my own life to save others in return."

       "Fine, let's prepare. Can you turn yourself back into a bird so no one suspects anything?" the Prussian blue-eyed man said appearing a little less cold-hearted.       

       Halia nodded, as retrieved some blood moss, garlic and nightshade. "I can do even better. Kal In Ex!" with one toss of the herbs over her head, Halia was no longer Halia. Instead she was a completely different person. 

       "Wow! What did you do?!" Dane gaped as he stared at the pretty shoulder- length curly-haired redhead with bright green eyes and tanned skin. She was also remarkably taller than Halia. Her dress was now dark blue with a silverish sash. 

       "I have cast incognito," the mage smiled. "The only problem is I cannot keep this form for very long. I believe an hour maximum is the longest I've held any type of spell."

       With silent nods, the three guards and the mage left the small shop, to plan the coming tragedy, that they were about to face.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       It was eleven o'clock in the evening and Halia found herself at the small inn with the three guards who made up an excuse to gather every single townsperson to the shelter, calling it a simple plague.    

       The young mage had to constantly cast incognito as she and Dane gathered as many reagents as possible. She knew, was going to run out no matter what. 

       Oddly, enough, Sonia, the stable mistress, appeared before the girl and the guard holding the bridles of four horses, Halia's own Firefly, among them. "You will need these. Take care fair Lady Halia and good Lord Dane. I wish you well, " the woman said as her long dark green hair blew softly behind her. With a single smile, she disappeared.

       "Thank you, Lady Sonia. I always knew you were one of mystery," the dark-haired young woman murmured as she held the reins to the four noble creatures whom she knew very well. A midnight black horse called Duce, a strong chestnut brown one which didn't actually have a name, a silvery gray horse which seemed to fly as it ran named Wing, and of course her own beautiful black horse, Firefly. 

       Turning towards, the guard she loved, Halia, smiled as he handed him the reins to the other three horses. "I believe the black one, Duce would best suit you," she softly said. 

       "Thank you Halia," Dane whispered, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, tears silently flowing from his blue eyes. Stunned the dark haired mage dropped the reins of her own horse but didn't worry. Firefly was highly obedient, and was trained very well, not to stray.        

       The girl had already told Dane and his only two fellow guards who actually listened to her warning, that they would not come out of this battle alive. The two quiet men didn't falter at her words, having already sworn their lives to protecting the city. The chestnut brown-haired man however felt great sadness at the thought of losing the woman he loved, but tried to remain strong. He had to for the sake of Carnelian.

       Halia, found drops of salty water fall from her very own eyes, feeling the warmth of Dane's body against hers as she encircled her arms around his neck. Slowly the two turned their faces towards each other, and united in a deep intense kiss as every emotion poured out.              

       "I love, you my Halia," the cobalt blue-eyed man choked out, as they pulled briefly away, staring into each other's eyes. 

       Brushing, Dane's tears from his face, the girl smiled sorrowfully, "I love you too." Taking a deep breath, the mage tried to collect herself realizing time was creeping up on them. "It's almost time. We must go."

       "Yeah, it's gonna be time to slay ugly things," the cobalt blue-eyed man smirked, as he helped the love of his life onto her horse,  before climbing onto his own, which strangely took quite a liking to the guard and didn't seem to protest one bit.  

       With the reins of the other two horses in hand, the two brave people retreated back to the inn.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Hollis and Trey each knew that their friend was in love with Halia and chose to accept it. If Halia's prediction proved correct, they'd be dead by sunrise anyway, so it did no difference that they were allowing the girl who was banished from Carnelian back into town. The fact that she wanted to help the place which practically disowned her was mind boggling, but proved the young woman indeed, possessed a pure heart.

       Soon, they were greeted once again by the melancholy couple. Who had a very welcome surprise for the two guards. 

       "We're back, and have a little gift for you two. Meet Wing and um, No Name. take your pick guys," Dane grinned, as he released the reins.             

       "I also have a gift for each of you," the mage quietly said as she reached into her reagent bag, and sprinkled some sulfurous ash and spider's silk on Hollis as she cried out, "In Lor!" 

       Blinking, the Prussian blue-eyed guard stared at the girl in shock. "What did you do to me?! Why is everything so bright?"

       "I gave you nightsight," Halia smiled as she turned to Trey and cast the same spell on him as well as Dane, the horses, and herself. "This will make fighting a little easier."

       "Thank you, Lady Halia," the green-eyed man softly said as his partner nodded stiffly.

       Suddenly, the girl's eyes became wide as she held out one finger, silencing anyone who was about to speak. "They're here."

       The three guards exchanged alarmed glances, as they unsheathed their swords. Halia sat ready upon her horse, reagent bags around her neck and waist as her violet cloak cascaded around the horse, her hood, lying lightly upon her head.  

       One meaningful, glance to Dane, with a firm hand squeeze was all the time she had left before hell wrecked havoc on the town. 

       The main objective was to protect the inn, nothing else was a concern. Spinning around, Halia threw blood moss and nightshade at the building as she shouted, "An Lor Xen!" 

       In a flash of an eye, the building disappeared, but sadly, the spell would only last for an hour tops. At least that gave them time to exterminate the monsters. The mage only wished that the spell could last longer, but knew unless the all the orcs were killed, they would remain in the town until she would run out of reagents since they would sense the humans concealed within the town and wait until they appeared. 

       Even though the orcs were very large, they still had an amount of intelligence and an incredible sense of smell, that even if they could not see a human, nor know where they were hidden, they still knew the human existed, and would search high and low until they found them.

       Slowly, the carnivorous orcs made their appearance, in an intimidating mob, bashing in buildings and scouring through the market for meat. The rank stench of dead flesh permeated in the air as only four brave souls watched and prepared.

       Hollis's blue eyes became icily hard as he stared in disgust at the large gray ogre-like monsters invading the city he swore he would protect. Wing stood, ready for the commands from the guard, realizing his own mission. Suddenly, the man charged with a battle cry rushing towards a small group orcs as Trey trailed after, his dark green eyes shining intensely.

       Exchanging wordless nods, Dane and Halia followed. The man with his sword tightly in his grip, and the woman, with the ingredients for her first spell tightly in her hand. 

       Out of the corner of her eye, the dark-haired girl saw Hollis behead on orc as Trey practically gutted another which was about to attack the powerful fighter. At least they had a sense of teamwork.

       With black pearl, mandrake root, and sulfurous ash in hand, Halia threw it at an  approaching monster, yelling, "Vas Ort Flam!" Causing the creature to be hit with an explosion, raining bits of flesh upon the surrounding group who were already wearing a fair share of blood.

       "Halia! " Dane cried, out with a disgusted look on his face, while stabbed an Orc through the chest. Clearly he did not enjoy wearing orc bits.

       Just as she spun around, Halia gasped in fear as an Orc was about to smash her love's head in with a mace. "An Ex Por!" she screamed, tossing a mix of Garlic, mandrake root, and spider's silk at the creature, paralyzing it in its track. 

       Abruptly the chestnut brown-haired man looked at what frighten his girlfriend so terribly and nearly fell off his horse. "GAH!" Regaining his composure, Dane decapitated the monster and kicked it to the ground. 

       "AHHH!" Hollis cried out as an orc's sword impaled him through the stomach. 

       "NO!" Halia shouted as she rode her horse towards the dying guard while retrieving garlic, ginger, mandrake root, and spider's silk. "IN VAS MANI!" she screamed, throwing the herbs onto the Prussian blue-eyed man, before he could take his last breaths.

       Remarkably, the stab wound began to heal, as Hollis found his ability to breath increase. Gratefully, he looked at the girl who smiled in return. Although, Hollis may not have said 'thank you' with words, Halia knew he said it in some form or another. 

       Just as the brown-haired guard reached full recovery he was attacked again, except this time, Halia intercepted. She knew even though the recovery period did not take long, when fighting a battle it can feel like years. "Cor Por!" Halia yelled, tossing black pearl and nightshade at the Orc which was fried thanks to her energy bolt.

       Quickly, the mage returned to Dane, who was fighting two orcs at once as five more slowly began to approach. 

       Turning to the five newcomers, Halia reached into her reagent bag pulling out black pearl, spider's silk, and sulfurous ash. "In Flam Grav!" she yelled, tossing them to the ground in front of the orcs creating a fire field, cremating three in the process as the two escaped their deaths. "Vas Flam!" she shouted throw black pearl and sulfurous ash at the two escapees, burning them with a fireball. 

       Trey was next one close to death, which Halia chose to heal. She successfully, managed to protect him as well while he recovered, before Dane found himself almost gutted. 

       "Hang on, Dane," she whispered, reaching into her reagent pulling out the ingredients for greater heal. Suddenly, the girl was dragged off her horse. 

       "HALIA!" 

       Quickly, the girl, threw the regents to her dying lover as she yelled, " IN VAS MANI!" as the orc's claws bore into her flesh. 

       Just then, a loud scream echoed in her ear, as an arm fell into her lap followed by a head. Halia, tried to resist the urge to vomit as she was pulled to her feet by Trey. Hollis stood nearby with a bloody sword in his hand. 

       "You can't die yet," the Prussian blue-eyed man said in a monotone.

       Nodding the taller man quietly added, "We owe you our lives."

       With a small smile realizing that this was their own why of saying 'thank you.' Quickly, the mage picked up her fallen reagent bag before climbing onto her horse as Hollis killed two approaching orcs with his sword. 

       Dane, gave a smile to his two friends for saving his girlfriend. Halia after all, had proven her merit quite well.

       Each of the four fighters' faces were filled with determination. They had to fulfill their duty. Even though it meant their deaths.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       The battle continued on for two more hours. The amount of orcs violating the city was incredible. It seemed like the mob was completely endless. 

       Halia had to constantly cast strength and greater heal on everyone. She even retorted to bless, which increases health, strength, agility, and intelligence temporarily.     

       'We can't continue much longer....I'm getting low reagents!' Halia thought, as she decapitated an orc with a sword she stole from one that she had earlier poisoned. 

       An hour later the dark-haired girl's worst fear came to life. She was out a regents.

       "Bad news, I'm completely out of the necessary regents," Halia calmly said, as Dane swung his sword into an Orc's skull. 

       "That's not good," the guard quipped, with a tint of nervousness to his voice. 'Great, guess we are going to die after all.'

       Hollis grunted before he sternly said, "Then we need to do what we can." Quickly the Prussian blue-eyed guard rode off into the crowd of orcs swinging the sword around as Trey silently nodded, riding after his partner. 

       A second later, Trey was slain by two Orcs, his cries echoing mindlessly in Halia's head as she tried to concentrate on her task. Hollis had tried earnestly to save his friend, but it was no use. The quiet green-eyed guard was gone.     

       Feeling nauseous as the monsters feasted on one of his best friend's flesh, Dane turned away, trying to retain the tears begging to fall from his blue eyes.

       The next to fall in Halia's horror was Dane. Without thinking, she rushed over to his dying body, before the orcs managed to yank her love off of his horse, blindingly slaying every monster in her path with vengeance.   

       "DANE! NOOO!" the dark-haired woman screamed, watching the glittering spark of life fade from his cobalt blue eyes. 

       "I...love...you," Dane weakly said, reaching out to touch the girl's tear soaked face as his best friend tried his hardest to protect the distracted girl. He owed her that much.

       "Dane, please don't leave me. Not yet. Not now," Halia whispered as his head fell against her body. "I love you too much to let you die."               

       "I'll...never....forget...you. Don't.....cry," he managed to say, before the light from his eyes faded.

       "I love you too," Halia murmured as she gently kissed his lips, before laying him back on the horse. At the same moment, the deafening cry of Hollis filled the air. 

       Bowing her head, the mage tried to compose herself as she lifted the sword in her trembling hand, and gave her best battle cry, killing all that came to hurt her. 

       To the girl's shock she was only down to two orcs when one pierced an arrow through her heart. 

       Limply, Halia's head collapsed against her horse's as her hand fell upon her reagent bag. To her surprise, she still had four reagents left. Sulfurous ash and spider's silk, which is only good for one spell but Halia would be sure that the bastards would die for their treachery. "Kal....Vas....Flam," she choked out, taking her finally breath, tossing the herbs onto the two orcs, burning them to death with a pillar of fire granted by her flame strike as the world became dark and still.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       Duo and Hotaru exchanged grimaces at what they just experienced. Tightly they held onto each other's hands, slowly dropping their eyes to the ground._

_       "Man, poor Trowa. He got eaten!" the pilot gasped appearing very ill._

_       Silently the girl nodded, "So did you and Heero," she announced, getting a horrified look from the man. "I witnessed it all with no power to save any of you."_

_       "Yeah, so how did it feel for that head to roll in your lap?" Duo chuckled, trying to bring some humor to their gory ending. Of course, this granted his a glare from Hotaru who turned a slight shade of green at the same time._

       "It was disgusting. Of course we all were covered in so much blood that it didn't faze me too much. I'm just glad that life is over with. I think it was the most gruesome death we have had," the violet-eyed Sailor senshi shrugged as Duo wrapped his arms reassuringly around her. 

_       "No, there was probably some even worse, although I do believe that is probably the only time I was eaten by monsters," the cobalt blue-eyed man lightly said, as he held Hotaru firmly against his body, never wanting to let go._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews. Um, sorry, if this chapter was a little, graphic, I tried to be as light with the details as possible. Believe me when I say, I could have gone a lot further into detail, but I didn't feel like making everyone lose their lunches, lol. 

Um, I forgot who it was that mentioned Heero's name means one. (Fanfiction.Net is down again) I knew that but there were no H names that meant one so I chose Hollis which means 'hero.' I did a lot of name punning in this, which when you think about it, could explain what happened in the GW/SM worlds. 

I also know that Setsuna's eyes are garnet. I was in a rush to get the last chapter out and when writing I continued bouncing between hair and eyes. Should have been hair. 

The soundtrack to Ever After and Carmina Burana did wonders for this whole 'life'. Ever After played through most of it and then Carmina Burana took over the battle. 

Um sorry, Trowa, Heero, and Duo got eaten but that's what orcs do. The other guys weren't in this because Duo doesn't always see the same people through every life and same goes for Hotaru. Sometimes they may see only the senshi and maybe just Quatre and Wufei. My speculation, is that the missing members to the group may have arrived after the deaths of the other three. Enough rambling.

Anyway, I am running out of ideas for their lives. I have four preplanned but I need a few more so if anyone has any ideas, let me know  ^_^

Oh, I don't own Ultima Online, just the little game I have and for the GW/SM disclaimer, see the first page ^_^


	9. The Accused

Dual Fates Part 8

For Eternity

by

Sailor Janus

       Duo glanced down at Hotaru who was still in his arms, but not clutching onto him nearly as tightly as she previously had. "Man, how many more lives are we gonna have to go through?! I don't think I want to know anymore."

       "We have to otherwise we'll be stuck here. I just don't know how much more I can take. We couldn't have been reborn too many times?"  the dark-haired young woman murmured.

       "Guess we'll find out. Wanna try again?" 

       Pulling away, Hotaru nodded, "It's now or never."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

       Tiresomely the dark-haired young woman picked up her head, carefully adjusting her bonnet. Briefly smiling, she gazed at a couple of chirping birds as they flew past. With a small sigh, she continued sweeping the small inn.

       Hannah Tailor was a girl of nineteen, left orphaned by her mother and father, forcing the violet-eyed girl to be placed into the kindly innkeeper's home as a kitchen girl. 

       She did not mind the labor much. Goodman Andrews was always courtesy enough to give the teenager plenty to eat and a dry place to sleep. He thought generously of the quiet girl and often thought of her as his own, much like his only child, Mary, an extremely cheerful and talkative girl who was the same age as Hannah.

       "Hannah!" the bubbly blonde cried out, upon entering the kitchen which the dark-haired teen was busy tidying up. 

       Glancing up, the kitchen girl took notice to her master's daughter, muttering a greeting with her head held low, "Hello, Miss Mary. How is your day?"

       Giggling, Mary's blue eyes crinkled as she swept a lock of golden hair behind one ear. "Hannah! You know you don't have to be so formal around me! We are practically sisters!" 

       "Sorry Mary, I often forget. So my question?" the violet-eyed girl softly said,  finishing up her cleaning before completing the preparation of dinner. 

       Seizing a bright red apple from the fruit basket, the innkeeper's daughter grinned. "It was quite lovely! I saw three gentlemen who are residing in our common inn. The fair haired one was quite charming."

       "I am glad. So has cupid finally drawn an arrow to your heart?" Hannah coyly asked, knowing the girl was about to sing her heart out anyway. The dark-haired teen couldn't help but feel slightly melancholy. After all, she and Mary were at the proper ages for marriage. Of course most men barely gave the kitchen girl the time of day, knowing that the dowry she held was minimal. 

       Mary happily spun around the room, demonstrating her enthusiasm. "I see Miss Hannah is quite perceptive! Yes, I think cupid's arrow as finally hit its mark."

       Nodding, Hannah turned her attention to the stew with was slowly cooking in a large pot. Silently she bit her lip, cursing Mary's cheerfulness. 'How can one always be so giddy?'

       "You should meet them, Hannah," the blonde continued, startling the dark-haired girl with such a suggestion.

       "What?! Mary that is absurd! I am nothing more than a mere kitchen girl. Poor at that. Why would anyone, gentleman or not, show interest in me? I am nothing," the violet-eyed girl argued, brushing a few stray strands of shoulder length hair out of her face. 

       "Don't be so silly Hannah! You are quite lovely and I'm sure there is one man that does not care about money. As long as you leave Mr. Winters to me, I'll allow you to choose among the other two." Mary, smirked, twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger.

       Instead Hannah scoffed at the naive blonde's answer. "Me lovely? I am simply plain. My hair is incredibly dull, my skin is so horrifyingly pale, and I am terribly thin! How could anyone even call me pretty or even fair?" 

       "I cannot understand how you can think so little of yourself. It's simply terrible," Mary sighed. 'Why can Hannah not see the true beauty she actually bestows?' Curtly, she spun around. "Well, be a kitchen girl forever if it pleases you, but I am not going to stay in this inn for the rest of my life! Good day sweet Hannah." 

       With that last word, the blonde-haired girl left the room, leaving the violet-eyed teen to her duties. 

       "If only my life were as simple as yours fair Mary, then perhaps the sun would shine for me as well," Hannah murmured, as she gathered dishes for the evening meal. 

       Suddenly a plate slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. To the girl's surprise, one violent chunk sliced her leg as it bounced off the floor. 

       With a gasp, the kitchen girl placed the other dishes on the floor next to her before inspecting the cut. 

       "Great, I'm bleeding," Hannah sighed, reaching out her hand to the wound. Oddly, her hand began to glow a vibrant purple. In horror the dark-haired young woman stared in shock at her hand before touching the cut, healing it instantly. "It-it's fine? The cut is gone but how?! Wh-what am I?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   

A few days later.....

       Earnestly, Hannah struggled to open the door in order to dump out the wash water. Unfortunately, the door refused to budge, creating a juggling act for the exhausted girl. 

       "Come on please open!" she pleaded, yanking roughly on the door. 

       Suddenly, a young man came up behind her and opened the stubborn door. "There you go Miss," he grinned with a mock bow.

       Amazed, the dark-haired teenager blinked at the kind gesture. "Thank you," she nodded, leaving through the entrance way, with a curious glance over her shoulder. 'He seems, charming.'

       Raising his eyebrows, the chestnut brown-haired man watched the girl leave. there was something that Deen found rather intriguing about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 'Have I met her before? She seems familiar.' 

       Hannah was so distracted by the man's action that as she almost fell while dumping out the water. Luckily, Deen was right behind her, steadying the young woman before she fell in the large puddle. 

       "Might not want to swim in that. The water doesn't look too sanitary," the cobalt blue-eyed man grinned.

       Perplexed the kitchen girl frowned at him, but not in disgust, more likely in confusion. "I thank you but why?"

       "Well, you appeared to need help so I obliged," Deen shrugged. "Isn't that pot a little too big for you?" 

       Abruptly, Hannah spun around, picked up the pot and began heading towards the door. "We are not allowed to talk alone." 

       "Oh you mean that stupid law? Yeah, but who would know? Everyone else is inside," the chestnut brown-haired man said following the young woman inside.

       "I am missing and so are you. Someone would probably become suspicious about our absence," the kitchen girl explained, her violet eyes glowing intensely. 

       "So we'd have to be married. So what," Deen smirked which earned him a horrified look from Hannah.

       "Are you mad?! By marrying me, you would be granted nothing! I am a kitchen girl, I barely have anything consisting of a dowry, and you would receive nothing in turn for marrying me," the young woman argued, pacing around the kitchen. 

       The chestnut brown-haired man stared at the violet-eyed teen when a smile finally broke on his face. "Why do you think I am so concerned about money?"

       "Why else would anyone want a scrawny, pale, straggly-haired girl such as myself. I'm Hannah the kitchen girl for crying out loud!" 

       "Why do you talk so little of yourself? You're beautiful," Deen found himself saying not understanding why he was acting the way he was. The blue-eyed young man was never this forward. 'What am I saying? I have never seen her before. Damn that law! I'd like to get to know her better.' 

       Hannah froze with her back to the kitchen door. Shock filled her deep violet eyes, staring endlessly at Deen, "I-I have to go!" Quickly, spinning around, the teen fled from the kitchen and the man which left her feeling so confused. 

       Deen stood his ground, watching the girl who he felt could be the love of his life race out of the room. "I don't know why you are doing this to me, Hannah, but I can't stop thinking about you. It's like I have met you before."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Curiously, Quinn Winters and Walter Cole watched the kitchen girl run from the kitchen. There was only one thought that came to mind, Deen Miner.

       With a sigh, the chestnut brown-haired man emerged from the kitchen, with shiny look to his dark blue eyes. 

       "My ear says someone is in love with Miss Hannah," the blonde smiled, watching his friend take a seat next to them. 

       "The weak kitchen girl?" the black-haired man inquired, raising an eyebrow at the braided-haired young man. 

       "Not as much as a certain gentleman who is in love with the innkeeper's daughter," Deen smirked as Quinn turned a bright shade of red.

       Nodding Walter added, "He's thinking of asking her father."

       The chestnut brown-haired man's blue eyes grew wide as he gaped at the peaceful man. "Is that true?"

       Instead of an answer of course, Quinn only turned a bright shade of red, trying to hide his face in his jacket.

       "Awww, Quinn is in love," Deen snickered, taking a sip of the ale in his cup. 'And I think, so am I.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       For the next several days, Hannah constantly avoided Deen unsure of what she feeling and if she was indeed going crazy. Soon the news spread that Quinn had asked for Mary's hand in marriage to the surprise of the others, but the father accepted, knowing that the young man would his daughter the way she deserved to be. 

       Mary of course was ecstatic that the innkeeper agreed and a few days later, they were married.

       After the small marriage however, Goodman Andrews approached Hannah with the suggestion that left her bewildered. 

       "Hello, Goodman Andrews. Mary made quite a lovely bride," the girl smiled politely earning a nod from her guardian and keeper.

       The normally happy man bitterly spoke. "Quite. Hannah as much as I have enjoyed your company and hard work, I am growing ill and no longer will be able to manage the inn. The doctor said I have a week at most to live."       

       The kitchen girl's violet eyes grew wide as she stared at the older gentleman. "Goodman Andrews, I am so sorry. If there is anything-"

       "There is. Hannah, I believe marriage would be a good change for you," the man sternly said, receiving another shocked expression.

       "What if I don't want to be married?" Hannah slightly challenged the innkeeper who shook his head.

       Taking a deep breath Goodman Andrews began to explain what he had been planning for the past few days after accepting the marriage of his only daughter. "I took notice that young Deen showed interest in you and told him that I am close to death. Once I die, since you are not my flesh and blood daughter, you would be left out on the streets. He has agreed."

       "What?! How?! I...I don't know?!" The dark-haired girl babbled feeling all the color drain from her face. 'How could he do this to me?!'  

       "Hannah, it has been done. Do not argue with me." With that the older man walked away with a fitful of coughs.

       During their conversation Deen cringed with speculation as far how his young future wife to be going to take the news.  One glare later he received his answer.

       Catching sight of her fiancé, Hannah rushed up to him, appearing as though she was about to punch him, but stopped short. "How could you?!"

       "The innkeeper approached me after Quinn had asked for Mary's hand, honest! I was going to refuse but when he said he was dying and you would be left on the streets....I couldn't let it happen." the chestnut brown-haired man sighed in defeat, dropping his gaze to the floor.

       "Then this is nothing more than a pity marriage," Hannah said at a whisper, appearing very unsatisfied.

       "No! Listen, I was planning to ask you, eventually, but everything happened really fast. I do like you I just wouldn't consider marriage right now. It was either me or Walter who I think you'd hate." Deen admitted as he played with the tip of his braid.  

       Releasing a sigh, the teenaged girl leaned against the wall. "I guess we'll, see what exactly is going to happen next."

       A few days later, Deen and Hannah were married, but not all ended in bliss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_       Hotaru and Duo stared gaping at each other in sheer bewilderment. _

_       "We were married?!" the couple exclaimed at the same time, releasing the grip they had on each other's hands. _

_       Silently the two adverted their eyes, concentrating their focus elsewhere for a short time period before looking at each other once again._

_       "Um, That was a shock. I completely forgot about it," Duo admitted as Hotaru stiffly nodded, lightly biting her lip._

_       "Me too," the dark-haired girl murmured quietly sighing. That was the last thing two would have expected. "I also had my healing power."_

_       Arching eyebrow, the braided-haired pilot studied the girl's face, "Does that make a difference? You don't mean..."_

_       "Considering the time period we were in during that life, yes it is probably exactly what you are thinking. I just wonder how bad it really was? I don't know if I want to go back," the senshi of Saturn admitted, sorrowfully turning away.        _

       Duo's heart went out for her. Gently, he wrapped his arms around the violet-eyed girl, not saying word. Lightly, he leaned his chin on Hotaru's head refusing to let go. Neither moved from their positions and remained as they stood. The girl in the cobalt blue-eyed man's embrace, and he simply supporting her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Yes, I finally finished this chapter! I know exactly what I want but how to get there is a different story! Sorry it took so long but my schedule is packed!

Yes, once again I switched characters names again. Most are probably obvious but here is the run down.

Hannah- Hotaru

Deen- Duo

Mary- Minako

Quinn- Quatre

Walter-Wufei

Hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Burning Passion

Dual Fates Part 10

Burning Passion

by

Sailor Janus

 _        Duo tried to sooth the girl in his arms as best as he could but nothing helped, Hotaru was still completely freaked out, mumbling words he couldn't understand under her breath while she shivered as if doused with gallons of ice water. Needless to say, things did not look too well for the cobalt blue-eyed pilot. _

_         "Calm down Hotaru. You can do it. Nothing is going to hurt you. I know everything seems so real but it's not. It's just the past and we are...well, wherever we are, I can't really remember and now I'm babbling so forget that part."  Uneasily Duo chuckled, before nervously biting his lip. "We'll get through this. Maybe there's another way to bypass this one and hop onto another life. Or maybe we can just stay here. You know this place isn't so bad. I'm kinda used to it now and you're here so bonus!"  _

         "We can't," Hotaru whispered so softly that Duo barely heard what she said. "I don't want to go back but I know we have to. We can't stay here forever." 

_         Duo felt his head shake replying, "We don't have to. Listen I don't like seeing you like this. We can stay here. I don't want to see you hurt."_

_         Biting her lip, the young woman pulled away. "Duo, we need to finish this or the balance is going to be thrown off. We can't stop here."  Taking a deep breath, she dropped her violet gaze to the ground before looking the man straight in the eye. "I'll be fine but this life is not going to be easy on either of us. It's only going to get worse from here on out but we need to finish it."_

_         Nodding the braided-haired man softly said, "It's your call, Firefly."  He was a little surprised to see the young woman holding out her hands to him. Swallowing, Duo nodded, accepting them in his own._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         Hannah sat on the cold stone floor leaning against the wall with her head down. It had been several days since she was dragged away from Deen on the accusations of being a witch. She could vaguely that day, only her husband nearly dying and somehow she healed him seemed to stick out the most. Then everything became foggy once Dorothy had arrived, calling her witch. There were still three days left until her trial, and from there, Hannah didn't even want to think about it. She wanted more than anything for it to be a long frightening dream and that she could awake in her safe bed, and all would be fine. Unfortunately, that was not the case. 

         "Deen, I'm sorry," she quietly murmured, allowing a few salty tears to streak down her damp face. The young wife swore she was not going to cry, but found it impossible. Heavy iron shackles, bound to her wrists prevented her from wiping her flooding violet eyes. The room she was locked in was tiny, with a single barred window. Hannah refused to reduce herself to an animalistic state, which occurs in many captives who pace their quarters as if stalking. Instead she sat motionlessly against the wall as her long dark hair shrouded her pale face. "Why must fate be so cruel?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         "Quinn, I don't care what the damned law is! Hannah is not a witch!" Deen growled, slamming his fists on the hard wooden table. "You have your bride. Why must mine be put to death? She's innocent!"

         "Deen, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. Until I am elected, I have no say in the witch trials," the blonde man sadly said. "I'm so sorry. Hannah does not deserve this awful destiny."

         "But they are going to execute her!"

        Quinn closed his eyes, sympathizing with the young man. "I wish there was something I could do, but given the current situation, my hands are tied."

         Rising to his feet, Deen nodded, his eyes greatly darkened. "If you won't do anything, then I will."

         "Deen, don't be foolish! It's not worth both of you dying," Quinn shouted, standing up as well.

         Quietly the chestnut brown-haired man, spun around, approaching the door with a deep determination. "If it means, some other unfortunate souls won't be in our position, then perhaps the sacrifice won't be in vain." Carefully he took the doorknob in his grasp. "Don't even think of stopping me, Quinn. I won't hesitate to strike you or Walter down. This is just something I must do. Goodbye my loyal friend." With those last words, Deen left the house to begin what he felt was his mission. 

         Sorrowfully, Quinn watched the young man depart into the inky blackness of the night air. 

         "That was Goodman Miner, wasn't it?"

         Turning around, he saw Mary, his lovely wife who had a conflicted expression her face. "Hannah never deserved this. She was like a sister to me and the fact that this terrible thing is happening.... I can't help but feel for her."

         The young politician nodded, wrapping his arms around Mary with a heavy heart. "I wish there was something we could do. I swear as soon as I am elected, the first thing I'll do is abolish the with hunts!"

         "You have such a good heart," the blonde haired woman softly said, encircling her arms around Quinn's neck, briefly kissing his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "If only other people were like you."

         Wordlessly Quinn nodded feeling guilty for being able to hold his wife in his warm arms while Deen's was forced to sit in a cold cell before her execution.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         "Hannah. Hannah."

         Frowning, the dark-haired young woman picked her head up meeting the dark blue eyes of her beloved. "Deen? What are you doing here?"

         "Breaking, you out," he answered, reaching down to take her small hand in his, helping her to her feet.

         "But-"

         "No buts Hannah," he interjected. "I love you and know for a fact that you are innocent. I'm not going to let you die here."  Roughly he broke off the heavy iron shackles with a mallet. 

         Sharply Hannah turned. "But if you are caught, you'll be put to death!"

         "I don't care. I swore to protect you when we were married and that is exactly what I'm going to do!" 

         "Even if it means your death?"

         "I'd die without you so that doesn't matter," he softly replied before passionately kissing her on the lips which she gratefully returned as tears fell from her eyes. Breaking away, he took Hannah by the wrist. "Let's go." Frantically they raced out of the cell and through the village, approaching the vast outstretched wilderness.

         "Stop! Hold it right there!" an officer shouted, running after the couple.

         Panic appeared in Hannah's eyes. "They've found us!" 

         Turning his head, Deen cursed under his breath. "Come on Hannah! We're not going to be caught! Not when we are this close!"

         Unfortunately, just as the words fell out of his mouth, the couple found themselves surrounded. Hannah clung tightly to her husband which was throwing deadly glares at the men, protecting his love as much as possible. "I love you, Deen."

         "I love you too, Hannah and don't ever forget it," he answered, tears stinging his eyes as they were torn roughly apart. 

         Sorrowfully, Hannah allowed herself to be dragged to the stake, it was her end. Deen was also to be burned at the stake for committing treason into attempting to free a convicted witch. He too had to face the same fate.  

         Soon a brilliant blaze of fire was ignited as Deen helpless watched before he too joined the same fate. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         _Abruptly Hotaru broke down  into a rush of tears. Gently Duo pulled her into him, as tears soaked his own eyes. He felt her limply collapse against him, burying her tear streaked face into his chest . Soothing he stroked her and whispered, "That really hurt."_

_         "I tried to warn you. We were so close," Briefly she sniffled. "Why damn it?"_

_         "Shhhh, it's over."_

         Nodding Hotaru swallowed, "I just need to breath for awhile." 

_         "I think we both need a time out from this."_

_         "I agree."  Softly Hotaru kissed him, before dropping her head to his shoulder, feeling safe for the time being but she knew they'd have to continue on if they ever wanted to know what happened to them in the present._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes:  Sorry this took so long. I was stuck in major Writer's block. Blah, I hate those! 

Thanks for reading!


	11. Darkness

Dual Fates Part 11

Darkness

by

Sailor Janus

_       Slowly Hotaru opened her eyes, realizing that she had fallen asleep in Duo's arms. Both were seated on the cool grass, leaning against each other. Drawing a breath, she blinked a few times through clouded vision before vigorously rubbing her face._

_       A brief minute later, Duo raised his head from her shoulder with a loud yawn. Heavy eye lids cracked open, before closing again. Tightly he squeezed Hotaru, recalling the powerful life they previously relived. _

_       Accepting the hug, the violet-eyed young woman sighed. "I think we should continue on. We need to." _

_       Pulling away the gundam pilot nodded, recognizing the pain-tinged voice. "How bad is this one going to be?"_

_       "It's going to be quite different, I can tell you that."_

_       Frowning he glanced at Hotaru who had dropped her head to the ground. "What do you mean?"_

_       Holding out her hands she simply said, "We are enemies. Now let us return and see if we can finally find some answers to this mystery."_

_       Silently Duo agreed, meeting the young woman's violet gaze, joining his hands with her own. His last thought was, 'What does she mean by enemies?'_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       "Come back here and fight you dishonorable knave!" a loud voice shouted through the forest at the fleeting figure covered by a black cloak with a rage-filled glow in its eyes. Gritting his teeth, the young man charged after the figure, a sword gripped tightly in his grasp, as a leather pouch filled with other useful items swung wildly from the rope wrapped around his waist. 

       Regardless of what the Dare shouted at the figure, it continued sprinting through the thick grass when suddenly it spun around, hissing menacingly at the hunter. Vibrant red eyes shone in an eerily light as fangs appeared through parted raw lips, stained with blood. Pointed ears perked up as it charged towards the braided-haired young man, sharp claws spread apart, prepared to rip Dare to shreds.

       Screeching to a halt, Dare realized what was once the hunted, decided to become the hunter. "Just great.... I have no time for this!" he muttered, drawing the sharp silver sword back, watching the creature carefully. Just as the demon was about to pounce on the Dare, he quickly pivoted on his feet, swinging the sword at the same time, and decapitated the creature. Glaring at the headless corpse, the demon hunter sheathed his favorite weapon and headed back for home.

       From the shadows, curious violet eyes peered at the departing young man. Smirking, the strange young woman brushed several locks of raven hair from her eyes. 'Interesting. He actually fought a Rathos demon and lived to tell the tale. I am fascinated to learn of your other abilities and strengths.'  Silently she disappeared in the darkness of the unlit forest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Dare half-heartedly unlocked the door to the small house he shared with his friends, Hunter and Wolf. Granted these were not their real names but to be identified as what they once were would mean death. 

       "Did you catch the demon this time?" Hunter inquired without glancing up from his sharpening his sword.

       "Barely, the thing tried to take my arm off before giving me the tour of the forest. needless to say, I was not impressed. However, It is not presently, with a head," Dare replied walking to a small box and pulled out some bandages for his wounded hand.

       Wolf continued sketching in his journal their now deceased nemesis. "You should be more careful next time." Smudging the hair on the picture he turned to Dare. "Is this exactly how it looked?"

       Glancing down, young man's cobalt blue eyes darkened. "Yeah, that him alright. Or at least was. I don't see why you guys insist on making a chronicle of every nasty thing we kill. It's not like we will receive any praise after being banished from town." 

       "It may however benefit us for future references if we ever do come across another of it's kind. This way, we have accounts on the methods of elimination," the Prussian blue-eyed man evenly said, sheathing his sword. 

       "Yeah, well I'm going to get some shut eye since I'm rather tired after my nice jog through the woods." Throwing his long black coat over a chair, Dare retreated into his room. 

       Frowning at the closed door, Wolf smoothed back his black ponytail. "He took the banishment worse out of all of us. If only that the Flamt demon had not set that inn on fire, we would not have been accused of murder."

       "We were the only ones within the vicinity. It was not like we could have explained we were fighting a demon," the stoic man said, turning his attention to the leather bound book which he used to record their nightly events. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Helen quietly crept into her underground sanctuary, concealed by a thick dark violet cloak. Closing the door behind her, she was greeted by a lifeless voice.

       "You are late little sister." 

       Glancing up, she noted an older violet-eyed woman was sitting quietly at the table, playing with one of her favorite daggers.   

       Brushing a lock of chin length ebony hair behind her ear, Helen softly said, "I apologize Brenna. I was distracted."

       A dangerous look appeared on Brenna's face as she flipped a strand of mid back length raven hair from her shoulder. "Try not to disobey next time. Raven would not be pleased. Lucky for you, she went out hunting." Flipping the knife in her hand, the woman slightly smirked. "What was so interesting? You are normally never late."

       Helen nodded, removing her velvety cloak. "I witnessed a battle between man and a Rathos demon. It was very intriguing."

       "Does this man have anything to do with the three newcomers to our home?"

       "Perhaps. I sensed a deep sorrow and guilt through him."

       Just then, Raven made her presence known. "Helen! Where have you been? You know not to stay out this late!" 

       Both women looked up at the fiery vampire with glowing violet eyes and dark hair that flowed past her waist. It was true, all three possessed violet eyes, dark hair, and were vampires. They spoke of each other as sisters, but none of them were related expect that all were turned by the same powerful vampire before he met his demise. The most interesting fact was that they were the last of their particular breed of magic users. Only those with violet eyes, had the ability to manipulate matter and cast spells. 

       "I was intrigued by a demon hunter. I will not be tardy again, Raven," Helen simply said before spinning on her heel. "If you two are finished interrogating me, I would like to get some work done. Excuse me."

       Silently the other two vampires watched the youngest member of their family depart. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       It had been several months since Helen had her first encounter with Dare, yet he did not even know of her existence. Since then, the other two women had their run-ins with the braided-haired man's two best friends. Brenna had simply hid in the shadows, watching Hunter at work before revealing herself. The two exchanged heated glares and little words between them, before attempting to murder one another, but found it futile. Raven however, took a more direct approach, attacking Wolf head on. Both fought a fierce battle but it ended as a draw. 

       It was not until a few days that Dare was about to have his first meeting with the young vampire Helen, bringing a full circle to the two halves of opposites. Living and dead. Male and female, eternal enemies.....or so they thought. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Dare picked up his sword and a crossbow. "Going hunting. I'll be back," he announced, tossing his black coat on over the deep blue shirt he often wore.

       "Be careful out there. Hunter and I have had some difficulties with two female vampires. There may be more of them," Wolf warned his friend.

       With a grin, the young man threw his long chestnut brown braid over his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'm practically a professional by now." 

       Silently nodding, the black-haired young man, watched Dare leave through the door. 

       "Did you alert him?" a deep monotone voice questioned Wolf from the shadows. 

       "I did. Whether he will actually follow it, is another story."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Dare growled, glancing around his surroundings. Not a single demon, vampire, or hellion made its' appearance known to the demon hunter. "Is there a national monster holiday that someone didn't alert me of?" he muttered, with a sigh.

       "No. They are not out at this time. wait, and you'll have more prey than you can imagine," a soft female voice from behind him.

       Spinning around, Dare found himself face to face with a beautiful young woman. Brilliant violet eyes seemed to glow in the moon light as chin length dark hair  delicately framed her pale face. "Hello."        

       "Uh, Hi. What are you doing out this late?"

       "Out for a walk." She simply answered. "Yourself?" 

       Feeling slightly sheepish, the young man muttered, "Work. I guess you could say I work the graveyard shift."

       Softly the young woman giggled. "I see. I am called Helen by the way." Her eyes suddenly flickered with a sadness. "I know what you mean I guess you could say. The night sky is much friendlier than the harsh light of the sun. Betrayal happens more often under that light than in the moonlight."

       Dare arched an eyebrow at the young woman who had a mysterious air to her. It almost seemed as though she knew where he was coming from. "Aren't you afraid? I mean, shouldn't you be at home?"

       "Afraid of what? You? This entire world intermingled with life and death, human and demon alike? I only fear those who don't understand and those who refuse to acknowledge what is to be because of their own ignorance." 

       "What are you talking about?"

       Abruptly she spun her around, facing her back to him. "You know exactly what I am talking about. Being a demon hunter you can probably sense it. I am unlike anything you have dealt with before."

       Dare's breath caught in his throat. "You're a vampire."

       "Yes. One of the few left who possess powers."

       "You're one of the vampires that have been attacking my friends!"

       "They attacked us. We only defended ourselves. Besides, I have never met your friends" Dropping her eyes to the ground she added, "I only approached you hoping that you were different to all the ignorance of this world! You only see what is in front of you but never for what something really is!" Pausing for a moment she drew a breath. "You are fighting blind Dare. Not everything is going to end the way as they believe it to. Life is about change and this world we are in is alive. Human or demon, we still are impacted by the events. Not everything is as it seems. Remember that."

       "How did you know my name?"         

       "I can sense it. I know what you have been through. You and your friends. You were banished from town by an event that was not of your doing." Spinning around slowly Helen faced Dare once again and whispered. "If you let me, I can help you."        

       "Sure, by turning me into a vampire."

       Shaking her head the young vampire whispered, "That is not the method which you seek. I can however open your eyes to what is really out there strengthening your skills immensely." Slowly she moved forward and lightly touched his lips with her own. "Trust me. Let me help."

       Blinking, Dare began slowly backing away. "I-I-I need to think this over a bit. excuse me." Quickly, the chestnut brown-haired demon hunter raced off. 'Oh man. I did not expect that! She's cute. Ack! Dare stop saying that! She's a vampire!' 

       Upon reaching the small cottage, the young man wrestled with his key but oddly found the door unlocked. Quietly he pushed it open but was met with a horrifying sight. The corpse of Hunter who had apparently been bit by a vampire. "HUNTER! NOOO!" Dare cried out, dropping to his knees. 

       "Dare, there is something I must tell you-" Helen shouted from the doorway, but froze upon seeing the rage filled eyes of the young man. 

       "YOU! This is all because you!" he growled, rising to shaky feet. Drawing the cool steel sword Dare continued, "You were sent to keep me busy while one of your vampire friends killed him! So what did you do with Wolf? Was he eaten too?" 

       "I had nothing to do with this!" 

       "LIAR!" Harshly he swung the sword at neck level but fortunately Helen managed to avoid the attack. 

       "Listen to me! I had nothing to do with this! There has to be some reason!" the vampire cried out as Dare attempted to slice her head off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

_        Hotaru blinked in shock at Duo. _

_       Sheepishly, Duo, dropped his eyes to the ground. "When you said we were enemies, you were not kidding!"_

_       "Unfortunately, that is only the beginning to our problems in that life.."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: This did not exactly turn out the way I previously planned but I really like it. It seems like it's an original. And of course, I like working outside of boxes.

Brenna by the way is my OC Biana. You'll find her in Information Leak, Mission X, and Everything But the Kitchen Sink. All of which are GW stories. Why did I choose her? Because I thought three girls with violet eyes and dark hair at varying lengths who happened to be vampires would be very cool.

Duo = Dare

Hotaru = Helen

Heero = Hunter

Biana = Brenna

Wufei = Wolf

Rei = Raven

Don't forget to review! 


	12. Chosen

Dual Fates Part 12  
Chosen  
by  
Sailor Janus

_Duo looked quizzically at Hotaru's face almost as if contemplating her words. 'Only the beginning to our problems? Why do I not like the sound of that?' _

Hesitantly nibbling on her lip, Hotaru drew a breath, holding out her small hands to Duo. "We need to continue. I fear we are running out of time."

Mutely, he nodded, joining his hands with her own.

* * *

Fear shone through Helen's violet eyes as she backed away from a very enraged Dare. "Listen to me. I had nothing to do with this!" She cried out as his sword nearly took off her head sparing merely a few inches.

"Dare. Drop the sword."

Blinking, the braided-haired young man slowly turned around only to find himself caught in Hunter's steely gaze. "Hunter, why! Why did you let them do this to you?"

"Because he was already dead to begin with," Brenna softly said, making her presence known. "He was dying inside and would have probably killed himself to begin with. I saved him."

"No you didn't save him, you bitch! You turned him into a monster!"

The female vampire however merely shook her head. "That is where you are wrong. As I told Hunter, we are all one and the same. The only difference is you breathe and have a beating heart. Speak with Helen, she'll explain more."

"I should have the right mind to kill you!" Dare growled, clenching the hilt of his sword.

"But you won't because I won't let you," the Prussian blue-eyed man evenly said. Staring at Dare straight in the eye he added, "We have much to talk about."

"Damn right we do! What the hell were you thinking! She seduced you, didn't she!"

"Partially yes, but Brenna was correct, I was half dead. Life held no joy. I did as I was told and that was that. When we were banished from town, I isolated myself even more. Soon, we became them, the ones we hunt. We had become creatures of the night with a thirst for blood."

Closing his eyes, the chestnut brown-haired young man accepted what his friend said. "So care to share what happened?"

Silently Hunter nodded.

* * *

_Hunter roamed through the trees of the dark forest, his sword drawn. Suddenly he sensed another presence. Swinging around, the young man found himself staring into a set of violet eyes. _

"Greetings, Hunter. We meet again," Brenna smirked, brushing a lock of medium-length raven hair from her face. 

Glaring icily, the young man slowly unsheathed his sword, but the vampire did not move a muscle. Instead she stood her ground glaring back at him. "Why are you here?"

"I live in these woods. It is you who is trespassing."

Shaking his head, Hunter slowly approached the woman, the sharp steel blade shining under the moonlight. "Soon, that will not matter."

"If you kill me then what? You hunt down another creature of the night whether they are innocent or not? You have become nothing more than a hypocrite."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Simple. You sleep in the day, hunt at night. Society has already turned it's back on you. We are now one and the same," Brenna firmly explained, refusing to back away from the young man.

"No. We are not the same. You are a vampire and I am a man."

Closing her eyes briefly, the female shook her head and said softly, "Hunter, you have become cold, and insatiable. You need to accept what you are and give into it. I can help you."

"How?"

"By bringing you into the world you belong in. You have already suppressed your humanity. Just say the word. I can give you power and content."

_Hunter stared at Brenna in defiance. "I don't need your help and certainly not in that form, vampire."_

_Brenna looked him up and down then gave him a hard look. "What do you have to lose? You have been banished and are just as hated as we are. In fact, I believe you have even thought of death. A simple method to escape from all that hates you. A moment of pain then all is over."_

"_SILENCE! The demon hunter then cursed under his breath, practically shaking with disgust. "You know nothing."_

"_You are already dead. Face it! Brenna stepped forward and showed her fangs. "Whether you like it or not, we are one and the same. You breathe and I do, yes. But we are two sides of the same coin."_

_Hunter glanced into the woman's eyes and quietly asked, " How did you become a vampire?"_

_Brenna calmed slightly, as she considered the question. She ran a hand unconsciously through her hair. "I was a young mage and because my mother died, my father blamed me and was going to sell me to a concubine." Brenna smiled bitterly as she twisted her fingers. "I ran away and was caught by a very powerful vampire. I fought against him, but was no match. He remarked that my beauty should be immortalized. Then he turned me."_

"_What was it like?"_

_The vampire startled, forgetting for a moment that Hunter was still there, listening. "Upon awaking? Awkward. You don't need to breathe, eat solid food and the inability to see your reflection can be unnerving. After that, you learn to accept it."_

_Hunter closed his eyes and dropped his sword drawing a final breath. "I already feel dead so why not?"_

_Brenna frowned. "Is that a yes?"_

_Hunter still nodded and bowed his head mentally questioning why he was not even the slightest bit afraid._

* * *

Dare cringed as Hunter finished his story. "But why? Why didn't you tell me or Wolf? You didn't have to resort to becoming a vampire!"

"It was my decision, Dare. But they have a point. We are one and the same. We have become what we hunt. Yes, it may be to save those that banished us, but it's still murder."

"I think I understand. I better go find Helen," Dare quietly said with a nod.

"I suggest you do so as well. Take care, friend."

Dare nodded then raced out of the house without second of hesitation.

* * *

The wind whispered softly through the leaves under the darkened sky. Helen studied her pale hands then cursed into the night. Was she really such a monster? Perhaps she should have been staked or burned or whatever it was hunters did to execute vampires nowadays. She knew Raven would scold her for such horrible thoughts, but the truth was what did she have to exist for?

Helen closed her eyes and wished that things could be different. That she could be young and beautiful and alive. Whatever Dare wanted she realized. She started at a sudden almost horrifying thought. Had she fallen in love with the bold hunter without knowing it?

"What have I done to deserve this? Why must I be tortured by my own heart?" Helen whispered softly. It wasn't fair to be in love with someone that couldn't love her back.

"Helen," I deep voice said from behind.

Her violet eyes widened as she turned her head and found Dare, stood a mere few feet away and out of breath as if he had ran across the world to find her. Helen swallowed bitterly in attempts to shield herself from the fall of tears. "Here to kill me after all?"

Dare took step forward and shook his head. "I had a long talk with Hunter. He kind of put things into perspective for me… I'm sorry."

Helen blinked in confusion. "Why should you apologize? You're right I am a monster."

"Then that makes two of us. I hunt and kill you hunt and kill. Two sides of the same coin, just a different picture."

Helen closed her eyes and faced the on coming breeze, her dark hair gracefully waving behind her in waves of silk. "But it still doesn't change who we are."

Dare shook his head as he walked closer to the vampire. "No, it doesn't. But that doesn't mean anything has to change to the way we don't want it to."

The young woman said nothing, and continued to stare out into the wind. Dare approached her and took her hand in his. Helen started and spun around only to meet his lips with her own. She eagerly returned the kiss then stepped back in question. "Why?"

"I don't know how to say this, but I think I'm in love with you. It's like I've known you my whole life. Strange, I know." Dare brushed her hair from her eyes and gazed down at her.

"Not at all for I feel the same," Helen admitted before her breath was taken away by another kiss, more passionate and urgent than the first. She reached up and ran her fingernails down his neck and back as he pulled her close.

"WHAT THE HELL?" an angry voice shouted from afar.

Helen and Dare immediately pulled away and discovered Wolf standing on a small hill looking down on them in disgust. Dare pulled Helen behind him and glared up at his comrade.

"What is wrong with you, Dare? Why are you kissing a cold-blooded killer? Have you gone mad?" Wolf drew out his sword and stalked towards the couple.

"Go away, Wolf. This is my business and I damn well did not ask for your opinion," Dare snarled unsheathing his sword.

"Men and their swords. Purely pathetic," another voiced scoffed this time, female from behind a grouping of trees. A mere moment later she emerged from the shadows.

"Raven? Oh hell!" Helen swore as she recognized the longhaired woman. It was highly evident that things have taken a turn for the worst.

"You!" Wolf growled as Raven approached the group.

Raven sneered at him. "Yes, me. What's wrong? Got your head stuck too far up your ass to see anything around you?"

"You insipid unjust, wench!"

"Unjust? Ha! You, my lord are the most unjust creature ever to walk the face of this Earth. You who have been consumed with the belief that all that are not mortal are evil. Try looking at ones own reflection." Raven crossed her arms, narrowing her dark eyes coolly.

"I don't murder the innocent or women for that matter. The undead however is an exception because they are already dead. So don't you even TRY to call me unjust," Wolf growled coolly.

Raven however rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You men are all alike. If you were to all drop off the face of the Earth we would finally be at peace. Unfortunately that would mean creation would cease as well." The vampire twirled a lock of dark hair around her finger as an after thought. "Of course, alive or dead, a woman is still a woman. Would you murder a child if they were a vampire or a demon? Even one that had not hurt anything or anyone?"

Wolf faltered with that question. "A child?" He fell silent and glanced back to Dare who still stood protectively in front of Helen as she clutched to his shoulder. He drew a breath and released it slowly. "I don't know."

"A child is still a child. They are innocent and don't know better either way whether they be human, dog, bear, or vampire. Either way, they are still innocents," the long haired woman explained crisply.

The ebony haired man however never had a chance to reply as Hunter and Brenna sprinted towards the group.

"Whatever you four are up to with have to halt for a moment. We have a more pressing matter at hand," the woman firmly said as Hunter nodded in confirmation.

"Like what?" Wolf growled.

"This planet's destruction."

* * *

The hunters and vampires soon found themselves led into a deep underground cavern. The dark catacombs looked untouched for centuries. Not even a single spider web littered the cool chambers.

"Why won't you tell us what is wrong? Brenna, I hate it when you don't tell us a single word!" Raven shot her sister with a glare as she followed.

"It's just a bit further," she replied, holding a torch firmly in her hand.

Dare and Helen exchanged uneasy glances as they trailed after their friends. Something was very wrong if Brenna was not engaging in a battle of words with Raven, making the whole hike feel even more foreboding.

"Brenna, won't you please explain to us what is going on?" Helen looked at the older woman with desperation.

The elder vampire turned around and narrowed her eyes coolly at Helen. She then grabbed her sister's arm firmly and spun her around towards the far wall. "This is what, you fool."

A few audible gasps filled the cavern at the large gapping hole of swirls of black, silver, crimson and gold energy. Raven covered her face and fell to her knees. "What are we going to do? That's a chaos portal."

"What's a chaos portal?"

"It sucks in all life into oblivion," Brenna quietly replied, releasing Helen's arm.

"Isn't there a way to close it?" Dare shuffled his feet nervously as he gaped at the growing hole.

Raven shook her head. "No. This is the end of everything. It's just not fair."

"No! There has to be something we can do!" Helen looked urgently at her sisters.

"Like what, Helen?"

"I-I don't know! But this can't be the end." The younger vampire wiped the tears from her eyes as a look of determination took over. "I-I'll stop it from the inside."

"No! Are you insane?" Brenna gaped at her sister and reach out to grab her shoulder but found her hand slapped away.

Helen narrowed her violet eyes coolly. "I'm going to do it. I'd rather forfeit my life if it means that the world can continue on." She reached in the bodice of her dress and retrieved a crystal pendant. "This should be enough to seal the portal."

"Then I'm going too," Dare said as he stepped forward.

"Dare, no!" Helen spun around and tried to push him back, but he caught her hands. "I can't let you do this."

"And I can't go on without you….I love you, Helen."

She stared at him for a moment and felt her eyes tear up again. "I love you too, Dare."

"Then let me help you." He pulled her into an embrace and then kissed her deeply. When they parted, Helen had a sad smile on her face as she nodded.

"Thank you, everyone. If this works, then please try to correct the mistakes of this world the best to your abilities," the young woman said softly and she glanced towards her sisters and the hunters. She gripped Dare's hand and after a brief goodbye, they stepped through the Chaos Portal together.

* * *

_Duo winced. "At least we sacrificed ourselves selflessly for the good of the world."_

_"Yes. But not always. I just wish I knew why exactly we have to remember all these lives." Hotaru sighed her violet eyes dim with worry._

_"Perhaps we won't know until we reach the end."_

_"Or until the end reaches us."_

* * *

Author's Notes: I think this is one of the stories with the worst case of Writer's Block. I've tried to work on it for quite some time, but it just wasn't moving and I really didn't want to delete it, so finally this chapter is done. I think it has only a few more chapters left to it before the end. Hopefully it'll move a little easier now.

I just can't believe I finally got this chapter done! Well, my birthday gift to all of you. Enjoy!


	13. Sanctuary's End

Dual Fates Part 13  
Sanctuary's End  
By  
Sailor Janus

_Hotaru frowned in confusion over the lives they had seen. Something was just not adding up. She stared at Duo who seemed too focused on the ground to really notice her. "Duo."_

_The braided haired young man's head snapped up and he looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?"_

_"Something is off. Think about it. All these lives makes sense, yeah, but they are repeats in some form or another."_

_He paused for a moment. "Sacrifice. We've given up everything for others."_

_"Then how do we know that this is really real if everything since the beginning is focused on only one element? In life even if there are multiple, not everything has to be repeated. Even destiny can change. So why is it up to us each time to give up our lives?" Hotaru began to pace as her thoughts continued to run in circles in her mind. "What if this isn't real at all? What if we aren't really dead and that everything that seems to have happened didn't actually?"_

_Duo gaped at her. "But how…" He furrowed his brow and began to pace as well. "Then how did we get here? Have we been asleep the whole time or something?"_

_"I don't know. Think. Do you remember anything outside of these odd memories?"_

_"White. A white room." _

_She nodded slowly, her violet eyes darkening as she considered the room carefully. "Like a hospital… or-"_

_"A lab," Duo cut in. "But… damn it. Damn it to hell and back…. Someone made us their guinea pigs."_

_Hotaru chewed on her lip and studied her hands carefully. "Now the question is how do we get out of here."_

_"I don't know but at least we aren't dead after all."_

_"Yeah, but we're trapped in a cage that we don't seem to have a way to escape."_

_"True." A smirk suddenly appeared on Duo's face._

_Hotaru raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you planning?"_

_"Care to write a story? This could be a best seller."_

_"I'm not following."_

_Duo sighed and folded his arms behind his head. "Simple. They're trying to fill our head with what is basically a bunch of stories so why don't we try to do a little role playing." He paused and blinked at her confused expression then sighed as he dragged a hand over his eyes and down his face. "Don't tell me you have never played a video game before."_

_Hotaru flinched. "Can't say that I have."_

_"Okay, with a role playing game better known as an RPG you have several characters thrown together in a story. What we're going to do is write our own stories and see if we can get whatever the hell device that is being used to keep us here to malfunction and hopefully we can get out of here."_

_Her violet eyes brightened as she ran the idea over in her mind. "That just might work. So where do we start first?"_

_He scratched his chin in thought. "How about this? You can be a girl of some sort and I'll be a pirate. They haven't pulled that on us yet."_

_"A pirate story?" Hotaru chewed on her lip as she thought it over. "Okay so how do we begin this?"_

_Duo grinned. "Let's start it off with…"_

* * *

The salty ocean water lapped lazily against the sides of _Deathscythe _as the fierce pirate, the dreaded Captain Drake "Death" Reeves stood at the helm. He was going to give his men another ten minutes to get their mangy asses back on the ship with the supplies or he was going to ditch them.

He sighed as he shoved at his bangs and tried to fend off his anxiousness. Trillion was that the last place he wanted to make a stop at. He could just see all the poorly rendered wanted posters of himself plastered around the boring town. Just because he was a pirate didn't mean they had to judge him as being a bad guy. It was all one big misunderstanding, much like everything else.

Drake didn't even want to kill the guy, it just happened. One minute he was in a pub enjoying a drink and the next, he was covered in blood and held a broken bottle in his hand. The fool just had to egg him on that particular day. The day his mentor Hector Leon had died. Hector was practically his father and when the news of his death had reached Drake, the young pirate was no longer in the right frame of mind to deal with the common asshole.

"Mangy seadogs," he growled under his breath at the night sky. He glanced consciously around praying that no one had spotted him.

"Sorry bout that, Capt'n. There was a bit of a line at the general store," Quince explained sheepishly, his long blonde bangs blew serenely in his face.

Drake sighed then realized that his second mate was alone. "Where's the rest of the lot?"

"Um…. You see…."

* * *

Holly gritted her teeth as she edged over the very thin siding of the estate her father owned. If she could just make it to the tree she could escape. Her long dark hair threatened to uncoil from under the large hat she had stuffed it under. Her violet eyes narrowed with determination as she inched closer to the tree. She refused to be part of a political deal.

Ever since her mother had died months earlier her father had come up with the radical scheme of marrying his only daughter off to the son of some well-to-do business man in order to merge their two companies. She had never met the young man but regardless she didn't care. Her only choice was to disappear as fast as possible and if she has to don men's clothing and act like an adolescent boy, so be it. Anything had to be better than being treated like property.

She stretched out a shaky hand towards one of the tree branches and held her breath. It seemed like such a good plan in her head when she was still thinking out her grand escape, but actually doing it was rather nerve-raking. One slip and she could break her neck! Not that that would prevent her father from marrying her off anyway. He would probably try to find a way to do it even if she already was dead. It was times like this that she wished she had a normal common family and that she had to work in the family store in order to keep food on the table.

"There's no turning back now," Holly murmured as she balanced herself on one of the branches then began her decent from the tall oak tree. Freedom would soon be hers.

* * *

Drake ground his teeth together fighting the urge to scream obscenities at the top of his lungs. Instead he sucked in another breath before addressing his comrade. "Are you trying to tell me that Hawk got into another brawl? I should have half the mind to just leave him in this God-forsaken place, but then he'd probably hunt me down and send me straight to Davy Jones's locker. And I'm the captain for bloody sake!"

"So are we going to go look for them?"

"No, need." A man with dark unruly hair stalked towards the Captain and snorted. His deep blue eyes held no emotion as he dug his hands in the long dark coat he wore over his simple thin tunic. "I took care of it."

"Hawk, we're supposed stay low," Quince Langly said urgently. "I don't care to swing from the gallows!"

"No one is going to swing."

"Then where are Taylor and West?"

"They'll be here."

Drake closed his eyes and began to pace. His crew were his comrades and in a way, his family. No matter how difficult and eccentric they could be, they had to stick together. He took out a flask, took a gulp of its contents and nearly choked. He pulled the bottle from his mouth and turned to Quince accusingly. "Did you swap out my grog for water again?"

"It dulls the senses, Capt'n." The blonde shrank back as Drake took a step towards him then emptied the contents over his head.

"With the lot of you, my senses are already dulled." He whirled around, his long braid swinging behind him and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Why me?"

Hawk snorted and tilted his head to where a tall brunette man and a shorter one with ebony hair carrying barrels of supplies lead a small group of men who were slowly headed in their direction. "They're here."

Drake heaved a sigh of relief and shook his head. "Great! Now let's set the sails and move out!"

* * *

This was the life; the wind in his hair, the salty scent of the water rushing over him in thick waves and all the adventure he could handle. Drake couldn't have asked for anything more. Everything seemed perfect once he was back out on the open sea.

He moved away from the helm and strolled down to the hold to inspect the supplies. It was then that he noticed a small bag nestled between a barrel of apples and a crate of gunpowder. His cobalt blue eyes narrowed at the item and as he moved closer to it what appeared to be a small teenaged boy leap in front of him and snatched it up. Before they could scurry off with it, Drake caught a thin arm and yanked them back. "Now just wait a minute…"

"Let me go! It's mine!"

The voice was slightly higher than he would have expected. Then again, the hand that shoved against him was a lot paler than most of the crew. Even West, who was of Chinese descent had developed a tan after sometime at sea. The figure was short dressed in baggy clothing and a large floppy hat. "I don't recall having taken any new crew members…. You look a little pale, lad. Let's see what is under that hat of yours hat."

"No! Let me go!" A solid kick to his shin got their wish and like lightening they took off only to be snared from behind by Hawk who dragged them to face the captain.

"Something wrong?" He tightened his hold and eyed Drake nonchalantly.

"Oww, damn bloody hell…" Drake rubbed at his leg and growled. "Just who the hell are you and how the hell did you get on my ship?"

The stowaway bucked against Hawk's grip, throwing off the oversized hat in the process. Long raven hair tumbled down in silky waves as dark amethyst eyes widen in horror. "Oh, no."

"You're a girl?" Drake cried out in exasperation. "What are you doing on my ship?!"

Quince appeared behind Hawk and grimaced at the scene. He angled around the dark haired first mate and gave the girl a smile. "Uh, hello. May we have your name please? We promise not to hurt you. Hawk, let go of her."

Drake threw up his arms and drew in a deep breath as Hawk looked at him. "We're in the middle of the ocean. It's not like she can go anywhere. Meanwhile my rep has just gotten up on the dastardly side. Kidnapper. Next will have to come pillaging, setting quiet, little towns ablaze, and kicking puppies!"

The girl frowned at the captain then looked at the other two crew members. "Are you or are you not pirates?"

"Pirates, but not what you think. Name please so I know that they get the facts right on my wanted posters for a bleeding change."

"Holly."

Drake blinked then ran a hand down his face. "Last name? I doubt you're just Holly."

She narrowed her eyes then closed them. "Smith."

Drake rolled his eyes. "Do I look that stupid? I don't think so."

Holly lifted her chin and sniffed, giving off a rather pompous appearance. "Very well then. Holly Riverstone of the Riverstone estate."

"Riverstone?" Quince gaped as she nodded. "Are you the daughter of Reginald Riverstone?"

"And daughter of the deceased Lillian Riverstone who is betrothed to Maximilian Heights."

"…. You're an Heiress? Bloody hell!" Drake swore again and kicked a wall; his mood suddenly very sour. And it was such a good day before he had encountered this little surprise.

Holly folded her arms over her chest. "Was. But I refuse to go through with my father's plans but the only way to do that is to disappear."

"And that's where we come in." Drake said dryly and shook his head. "Sorry, lady, but you'll have to come up with some other plan because I am not gonna hang just so you can play runaway princess."

"So you're going to take me back?"

"If you refuse, we'll just throw you overboard."

"Drake, we can't do that," Quince protested as the braided haired captain moved past him.

"Watch me."

Holly's jaw dropped and she stalked towards the smug captain before he could brush by her. "If you do, when I make it to shore I'll let it be known that you abducted me!"

"You don't even know my name, princess."

"Drake "Death" Reeves, Captain of the _Deathscythe_."

Drake cursed loudly. "Quince!"

"He didn't say a word. I've seen the posters of you around town. I am not some naïve little twit that didn't know what boat to sneak aboard." It was her turn to be smug. Playfully she batted her eyelashes and lifted her nose. "I also know that you are not nearly as bad as they say you are."

Drake ground his teeth together, suddenly very aware of a bad taste in his mouth. He grinned menacingly at Holly and straightened his shoulders. "Fine. You think you know what you're getting into? We'll see just how prepared you are. This is my ship and anyone who wishes passage on it has to work. So I think the deck could use a good scrub. Quince, find her a rag and a bucket."

"Drake-"

"How dare-" Holly began to protest only to be cut off by the irate captain.

"My ship, my rules. Move. Now."

Holly's mouth fell open as she stared in outrage at him as he grabbed her by the chin and smirked.

"Welcome aboard the _Deathsycthe_. Hope you enjoy your voyage."

* * *

_"Gee, thanks, Duo. How very sweet of you." Hotaru folded her arms over her chest and glowered at him. _

_"Hey, it's different from what they were shoveling us!" _

_"You turned me into a servant."_

_He shrugged innocently. "Well, you shouldn't have stowed away on the ship."_

_"That was YOUR idea!" Hotaru took a deep breath and released it. "Nevertheless, we're still stuck here so apparently the idea wasn't so great after all."_

_Duo rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet as he chewed on his bottom lip. "Well, then I guess or only other choice is to finish the story and give it a happy ending where we actually get to survive for a change."_

_Hotaru shook her head and turned on her heel as she began to pace. "We should have picked something modern day and simple. Pirates didn't exactly have it easy."_

_"Too late now. Gotta finish what we started."_

_"You mean you got to finish what YOU started."_

_Duo smirked. "Nuh uh. You have to be in on this too which means it's your turn."_

_Hotaru narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Fine. Just give me a moment to think, Hot Shot."_

* * *

Author's Notes: I know I said this was going to be the last chapter, but it didn't come out that way so this story will have at least one chapter left before it's completed. Sorry if I got anyone's hopes up.

In addition, if you have not seen my profile lately I have created a website along with two of my writer friends. It'll feature samples of original stories for multiples series that we are seeking to have published and will also include a page for my fanfiction. That particular page will be added in a few months. In the meantime feel free to check out our site. The link is found on my profile.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the latest installment.

Until then.


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